


1-800-CAPTAIN

by lovelunarchron



Category: Lunar Chronicles - Marissa Meyer
Genre: AU, Christmas, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Family Drama, Insecurity, Self-Esteem, Sibling Rivalry, The entire Rampion Crew as relatives, Tropes, cresswell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-04
Updated: 2018-04-23
Packaged: 2018-05-04 20:23:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 38
Words: 145,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5347382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovelunarchron/pseuds/lovelunarchron
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Desperate to not be alone again for the holidays, Cress hires a man to pose as her boyfriend for her family's annual Christmas celebration.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

His door had a wreath on it. An actual, real, not-fake-and-bought-from-Michael's Christmas wreath. There were even sprigs of holly that jutted out in perfect symmetry.

Cress didn't know why this should have surprised her, but it did. People in his line of work were real people too, after all, and they had to live _somewhere_. But not this up-scale suburban neighborhood somewhere. She had expected dark alleys and doors with paint chips that were crumbling off the exterior.

Business had to be booming.

Swallowing hard, she plucked up her courage and rang the doorbell.

 _Please be cute, please be cute, please be cute,_ she prayed.

He had sounded cute enough on the phone, and his customer satisfaction rate was the highest of all the companionship services she'd checked out—99%. With such high numbers, there was no way he couldn't be good-looking.

She heard footsteps behind the door. Cress readied her hand in her purse, clutching her pepper spray with all her might. Then she considered running away. But she wouldn't—couldn't. She had made the phone call sealing her fate four days ago. She had already told her parents she was bringing him. There was no going back now.

She only had to hold her breath briefly before he opened the door. Heart fluttering from nerves, she sized him up, thankful to find that he did, in fact, have some really cute features. Tan skin. Dark brown hair. Chiseled jaw. Surprisingly vibrant blue eyes. A dimple when he smiled.

And he was smiling all right. Beaming, almost.

She clutched her pepper spray tighter.

"Well, aren't you gorgeous!" he exclaimed, his eyes roving up and down her body before lingering on her face. "You should see the type of people who call me on a regular basis. They're pretty hopeless. But you, my dear, are not hopeless at all. Come on in!"

He held the door open for her and beckoned her inside.

Cress remained rooted to her spot on his front stoop. She took her time studying him before she spoke. "You're not ready."

He looked like he had been watching a football game, to be exact. He donned black sweatpants with the Vikings logo embroidered on the left thigh and a snug gray T-shirt that should have had him shivering from the draft of the open door. It was obvious that he worked out.

"I don't choose my outfits before I meet my clients, especially if I'm meeting the parents. Some families are particular about clothes and I need to adjust to that. I also need to get a sense of your style so I can match you better. We want to look compatible, don't we?"

"Oh."

"Don't just stand there, babe," he said, smiling warmly at her. "We have business to attend to."

He gestured for her to enter again, and she realized that she had to make a choice. She could either run away and stay miserable during the holidays, or she could go inside and take her chance with this guy. Cress chose the latter, holding her head up and walking in as if she really had known him for six months, like she'd told her family. She might as well start calling upon her useless Theater degree to help her out.

They would both be doing a lot of pretending this weekend.

When he shut the door behind her, he immediately went to grab a stack of papers on the entry table. Cress peered behind him to get a glimpse of his living room. It was meticulously organized, but she noticed that there were no pictures hanging from the walls. As if no one even lived there at all.

After shuffling through the papers, he handed her a pen. "Here's the contract that you've already seen on my website, including cost, but I wanted to remind you that you're signing a non-disclosure agreement." He winked at her. "I've got to protect my reputation as much as you've got to protect yours."

Her hand trembled as she signed the document, not wanting to tell him that she feared having her real name on anything related to his services. She paused when she saw the signature line for him. Under it was written his real name: _Carswell Thorne_.

She frowned. "Where's the honorific?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Shouldn't it read _Captain_ Carswell Thorne?"

"Sweetheart, I'm not a _real_ captain. Just call me Thorne."

"But your ad…your _number_ …?"

"Sorry to disappoint, but there isn't anything written on my site about me actually being in the military. I needed a good pseudonym, that's all. Do you have military family?"

"Well no, but…"

"But you're disappointed and I aim to please. If you think I've advertised falsely and needed me to be in the military, we can rip up this document right now." He held up the contract she had just signed.

"N-no! It's okay. I just thought that my parents would appreciate someone who serves his country. They would respect me having a boyfriend in the military."

"I can pretend, if you like." He dropped to one knee and took her hand in his. Then he pressed a quick kiss to her knuckles. "Captain Carswell Thorne, at your service."

Cress retracted her hand from his grip quickly. "Um—no. That's okay. We'll think of a different backstory."

"Whatever you wish, darling." He got up off his knee and signed the document in front of her. Then he held out his palm. "Got the money?"

"Right."

She reached into her purse and forked over an envelope full of cash as he had requested. _It's a holiday weekend_ , he had said. Prices doubled during holidays. She could only imagine what his price for New Year's Eve was. She really couldn't afford his regular daily rate, let alone the weekend holiday rate, but she had decided that she would ignore the glaring red in her monthly budget line for December. It would only get more of a deficit after she paid all of his expenses this weekend too.

He counted the bills greedily, like a child surveying his wrapped presents on Christmas morning. "Perfect," he said at last. "I'll collect the second half at the end of the weekend." His eyes flashed with mischief. "Tips are, of course, always appreciated."

"For that insane price, I think it's pretty crappy that I have to pick you up," she decided to say boldly. "What kind of service is that?"

He scoffed. "You found me online. You could be a predator and I'm not about to be lured into some trap."

"What about _you_ being the predator?"

"Like I said, you found _me_ , honey."

She bristled. "Stop calling me all those dumb pet names."

He held up his hands and offered her a placating smile. "I was just trying out different terms of endearment for this weekend. See which one rolls of the tongue more naturally now that I've met you. Pet names are important to keep things authentic, you know. Couples are obsessed with them."

"I would prefer for you to just call me Cress most of the time."

"No can do. Too easy to mix up names with other clients." He chuckled. "Which pet name was your favorite so far?"

She sighed and shook her head. "I don't care. Just pick one and stick with it."

He cocked his head, studying her. "Cress, was it?" He reached for her shoulders. She stiffened as his hands ran gently along her arms. " _Relax_ , Cress. You hired me because I'm a pro at this. I'm going to take the lead in everything and make sure your family thinks you've got the most _amazing_ boyfriend." He left one hand on her shoulder and cupped her chin with the other. "Trust me, okay? I guarantee you'll be satisfied with my services."

Cress nodded automatically, but a warm tingle spread through her body at his words. His eyes looked so honest and kind that it was hard not to believe everything he was saying. She wondered how often he said those lines to his clients, not to mention how often he told them they were more gorgeous than the previous ones.

It didn't matter.

She knew she was skinny and plain and awkward compared to his cool confidence and handsome demeanor, but that was the point. Everyone was going to wonder how she had managed to snag someone like him. For once, everyone was going to wish they were her.


	2. Chapter 2

Thorne's feet were on her dash, boots and all. He hummed to himself as he read about her background, which Cress had printed out and stapled together neatly like a book. She had even taken the liberty of highlighting the things she thought were the most important for him to know. His ad said he had an incredible memory for details, but she hadn't wanted to take any chances.

Without his sweatpants and T-shirt, he looked like a professional adult in his mid-twenties just as she'd hoped. After describing her family traditions and what sort of clothes she'd brought with her, Thorne had rummaged through his closet and laid out several outfits on his bed for her to pick from. She had liked them all. He definitely had impeccable style, to say the least. Still, she had chewed on her fingernail trying to decide which she liked the best and in the end had let him decide.

He had told her that nail biting was a bad habit and that she had to start voicing her own opinions about issues related to their relationship.

He read for about a half hour while she drove them out of the Minneapolis traffic. She was glad that she had given them three hours to get up to the cabin, instead of just the predicted two hours. If they were making good time, they could always stop and have a bite to eat and get to know each other better.

She glanced at Thorne again, who was making quick work of her bio with his pen. From what she could see, he was underlining and writing notes about things. She thought she saw some star shapes.

"All right," he said brightly, setting his pen and the bio down. "Your father seems a little over-bearing, but it's nothing I can't handle. Interesting tidbits about the adoption, too."

"Do you want to go over any of the information? Make sure you know it?"

"Nah," he said. "I got it."

"There are a lot of names within those pages. You said you're bad with names."

"Sweetheart, I'm your boyfriend, not your scribe. It's perfectly normal not to remember the name of your cousin's girlfriend's aunt's co-worker or whatever. I'm meeting them in order to _get_ to know them. I've highlighted the most important people, like immediate family."

"What about their partners?" she asked, still unconvinced.

"Everyone's coupled up. No problem. Let's talk about our backstory instead. Based on that thesis you wrote me, I think it's safe to say we share a passion for theater. How about we happened to run into each other at the grand premiere of _The Phantom of the Opera_?"

Cress shook her head adamantly. "Absolutely not. My parents don't like that I chose to major in Theater. I don't have a job in that field right now."

"I saw that. Okay, x on the theater. Where do you think we met, beautiful?"

The way he said beautiful in that low, sultry voice of his was almost too convincing. She changed lanes and thought about his question. "Mutual friends," she said. "We were at a party."

"Naturally I approached you," he said. "You're too shy to make the first move, I would imagine."

She didn't say anything.

"Just trying to understand your personality after reading your bio," he said. "Don't worry, I've already got a fabulous story concocting in my mind. Let me tell it if someone asks."

"Okay."

"You wanna be big on PDA? I'm pretty open to whatever, within limits, of course. Hand-holding, shared looks, hugs, cuddling in front of the fire while we watch _It's a Wonderful Life—_ it all works for me. I can even throw in the occasional risque touch here or there, if you want. You would, of course, bat me away for the scoundrel I am."

His voice was teasing, but Cress was trying hard not to grimace. "PDA is important, you're right. But forget the uh...risque touches. Doesn't work for me."

"Are you sure? Flirting like that has been effective in the past."

"No," she said more firmly.

"Very well. In terms of kissing, I'm fine with pecks on the cheek and lips, that sort of thing. But anything more than one or two open-mouthed kisses throughout the weekend is going to have to be discussed with me first. I like to be spontaneous enough to be convincing, of course, but this isn't a prostitution service. Just companionship."

Cress nearly choked when he said the word _prostitution_.

He smiled at her. "You're adorable when you blush like that."

She cleared her throat. "It's embarrassing."

"It's endearing. A man likes to know he can make his girl blush."

"I'm fine with just…the pecks. No problem."

"Of course we'll have to do at least one romantic kiss for show—that's why I include that upfront. But it's good to know we're on the same page about that. On to the next item: do we live together?"

Cress's knuckles turned white against the steering wheel. "N-no. We only met six months ago and we're taking it slow."

Thorne raised an eyebrow at her. "How slow are we talking?

"The we're-waiting-for-marriage kind of slow."

"To live together? Or just to—"

He caught sight of her face and clamped his mouth shut. "Sure thing, beautiful. You're definitely someone I'd wait for, anyway."

Again with the words. They sounded so easy coming out of him, like he could adjust to any situation without flinching. Cress always had her emotions written all over her face. What she wouldn't have given to have a real boyfriend next to her, telling her these things…calling her beautiful. It was just a dream though, and going through the charade with Thorne proved just how unattainable it really was.

At least he wasn't calling her crazy, which she would deserve after hiring someone to pose as her boyfriend. Then again, he was paid to not call her crazy. He probably thought all of his clients were crazy, desperate losers. The thought made her sad.

"Have we said _I love you_ , at least?" he asked.

"Of course we have," she said snippily.

"Whoa, sorry. I just didn't know if that was moving too fast for you. Saying the big three words changes the dynamic of the relationship."

"We're very much in love," she said. "We couldn't be happier."

"We are obviously soulmates," he added, but there wasn't any hint of sarcasm to his tone.

She focused her attention on watching out for deer to keep the tears from forming at the base of her eyes nonetheless. Thorne asked her more questions and concocted more stories in his mind about the two of them. It was a game, she told herself, that was all. She liked games. She was good at games.

They stopped for coffee at a rest place off the highway. Thorne slid his arm around her waist easily as they waited in the long line at Starbucks, humming the same holiday tune from the car. Cress tried to relax into the gesture when he told her that it would be good practice for her to get used to being close to each other.

She reminded herself that for once, she was the one with eye candy standing next to her. It helped that a few girls passed them and offered appreciative glances in his direction. She hoped that, once out of earshot, they didn't begin whispering to themselves about why he would be with someone like her.

When they had passed him, he placed his other hand on her waist too and pulled her against him. Her back pressed into his chest and she closed her eyes, imagining that it was real.

It was a pretty nice chest, if she were honest. Sculpted and strong but not bulky, just like his arms. He was a bit too tall for her but she had known that beforehand. He listed himself as 6'0" on his website, putting her head to about his collarbone. It became evident when he leaned his chin on her head. His humming made her body vibrate.

"Can't get that song out of your head?"

He chuckled and lifted his chin off of her. "It's hard not to be in a festive spirit with Christmas only a few days away. I just watched _Love Actually_ and they sang that song at the end."

She almost squealed. Her dream man would watch _Love Actually_ and then get a Mariah Carey song stuck in his head. But then she remembered his job, and how much he probably hung out with women on a regular basis, and that he'd probably been forced to watch it. Her enthusiasm dwindling, she just said, "I like that movie too."

"Most chicks do," he commented, confirming Cress's suspicion that he hadn't watched it on his own.

"Don't use words like _chick_ in front of my parents," she said. "You're classier than that."

He kissed her cheek, making it burn where his lips made contact. "Your wish is my command, sweetheart."

When they had finally ordered their drinks, Cress excused herself to go to the bathroom. Thorne accompanied her all the way to the entrance, and as she walked in she considered telling him that he needed to lay off on the PDA just a little. It was one thing to be romantic, another thing entirely to be clingy.

When she was washing her hands, the girl next to her at the sink smiled at her in the mirror. Cress glanced at her and gave her an awkward smile back. She _really_ needed to work on her social skills.

"I saw you with your boyfriend in the Starbucks line," said the girl, reaching into her bag to pull out some lipstick. "I have to say, you guys are absolutely adorable."

"Y-you think?" asked Cress, before realizing that her nerves would probably give away the fact that he wasn't her boyfriend at all.

The girl started to apply the lipstick. To Cress's surprise, it was a purple rather than the traditional red she was used to. "Wouldn't mind a guy like that myself, if you don't mind me saying."

Cress blushed. "He's really cute, I know."

"A total hunk. And he couldn't keep his hands off you, could he? Yum."

Cress nodded in agreement, still feeling flustered, and rushed out of the bathroom as quickly as possible. Maybe the PDA only seemed over the top to her because she didn't know him. To everyone else, maybe it was just as the girl had said in the bathroom.

Thorne was already waiting for her with two coffee cups in hand. When she had taken hers, he clinked his cup against it. "Cheers."

"What are we toasting?" she said, clinking back.

"You," he said, taking a sip. "I'm the luckiest guy in this whole rest stop to get to spend the weekend with you."

Cress tried to hide her smile by taking a drink herself as they started walking. "I basically paid you to say that."

He laughed and put his arm around her shoulders this time, drawing her close. "But I made you smile, didn't I?"

She elbowed him in the ribs. He nearly spilled his coffee.

"Sorry!" she gasped.

Thorne only winked at her. "Nothing to apologize for. You're a natural at this. We look like a completely normal couple just fooling around."

This time, she didn't try to hide her smile. "I suppose you're right."

Thorne talked more during the car ride, which she appreciated, because she wasn't that great at talking herself. It wasn't that she didn't want to say anything, but his presence made her nervous and she was completely useless when she was nervous. This happened all the time with guys that she actually liked, too. She became a puddle of goop that couldn't use her words, flustered and stuttering.

She tried to add in some comments with Thorne, though, just for practice, because no matter what she said to embarrass herself, he was forced to stay with her.

The thought made her both happy and sad.

"What happened to the other 1%?" she asked. "Why don't you have a 100% satisfaction rate?"

Thorne shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Can anyone really have 100% satisfaction? I mean, even with just probability someone is eventually going to dislike you." When she didn't say anything, he continued. "If you must know, there was this one girl who fell in love with me. She kept buying my time until I eventually turned her down. I don't date my clients, you see. She was upset—said I led her on. Sometimes I'm a little too skilled at pretending, I think. I didn't like the girl at all. Gave me some bad ratings because of it."

Cress tried to imagine falling in love with someone who was basically an escort. What kind of person would fall for someone like that? Embarrassed by her judgmental thoughts, she realized that someone would probably ask the same thing about her if they knew her situation. What kind of person would fall for someone who knowingly hired an escort and then lied about it to her family?

They were nearing the outskirts of Duluth, not far from where her family's cabin was, when Thorne turned to face her completely in the car. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, but it was hard to see his expression through the darkness in the car.

"You know what I've been wondering since I met you?"

She turned on her brights and focused on the street signs. No matter how many years they'd come out here for Christmas, she always seemed to miss the turn the first time. "What?"

"You're a pretty girl who, based on her bio and the few hours that I've spent with her, is intelligent and interesting. Why did you call me? Are your parents really that bad?"

"No," she said. "They're okay. We don't always see eye to eye on everything and my dad is super bossy, but I can usually handle them."

"So what's the story? It helps if I know your needs."

She snorted. "My needs. Please. You only care about getting paid."

"Hey. I'm getting paid because I'm here for _you_. If you explain the situation to me, I can help you more this weekend than if you keep me in the dark."

Cress squinted at a sign. "Does that say Luna Landing? I can't really see with the snowflakes."

He turned away from her to look at the window. "Huh. Didn't even notice it had started snowing. I think it says Luna—something. Yeah. Maybe Landing."

She put on her blinker and began to turn off the highway. When they were on the little road that led to the cabin, she knew it would be her last chance to tell him before he met everyone.

"There are going to be a lot of people here this weekend. People with…expectations. I just…don't want to disappoint anyone." Her voice came out shakier than she'd expected.

"Hey," he said again, this time reaching to give her thigh a light squeeze. Cress almost jumped. "I didn't mean it in a bad way. It's okay to just want company for the holidays. It's a hard time to be alone. I just thought maybe there was something more to it. I usually have pretty good instincts about this sort of thing."

"Nope," she said quickly. "Nothing more. Just a lonely, loser girl."

"You are _not_ a loser. Don't ever let anyone tell you that."

She couldn't keep the tear from rolling down her cheek this time. She hoped he wouldn't be able to see it in the dark. "I'm so lonely, I hired you," she whispered.

"And you'll see it was the best choice you could have made," he said encouragingly. "I'm going to make you feel like a princess this weekend. Just like you deserve."

Cress kept her eyes on the road. At least she was only falling apart in front of him and not her family. As long as she pulled it together in the next five minutes, no one needed to know how much she was dreading this weekend. Nor how much of a _mess_ she was.

She pulled over on the side of the road. He probably wouldn't mind if she stopped to double-check her mascara before they reached the cabin. Not that he had a choice in the matter. He was at her beck and call. She could make him do whatever she wanted.

When she had dabbed her eyes dry, Thorne said, "Sure you don't want a shoulder to cry on or a hug or something?"

Cress closed the little latch on the sun visor. Hugging Thorne was the absolute last thing she wanted to do right now. "No."

He nodded. "All right, sweetheart. In that case, it's showtime."


	3. Chapter 3

"When you said you had packed a lot of clothes for the weekend, I didn't think you'd meant your entire wardrobe," said Thorne, grunting as he tried to yank Cress's suitcase out of her trunk. "This weighs like, fifty pounds."

"Your website bragged about your muscles. I'm sure you can handle it," Cress said, winding her scarf around her neck more tightly.

"Ooh, snarky little thing, aren't you?"

She was going to apologize but when she looked at Thorne he was grinning at her. When he had managed to get her suitcase out she reached into the trunk to grab his duffel bag, but he clicked his tongue. "No way, first impressions are really important. I'm not going to have my girl carry my bag."

"You're carrying _my_ bag."

"It's a rite of passage, sweetheart. Let me take care of you this weekend, okay? Besides"—he pulled out the adjustable handle and angled the suitcase against his leg before reaching into the trunk for his own bag—"it's more like dragging your bag."

"At least put on a coat."

Thorne glanced at the snowy trail that led into a thick line of trees. She had already explained to him that it would take about three minutes to get to the cabin from where they had parked her car. "Good idea. Can you grab it for me?"

Content to be useful for something, Cress held out Thorne's coat for him as he maneuvered his arms into it while managing to not lose his grip on either of the bags. "I hope you brought a hat too."

"Of course I have a hat. This isn't my first Minnesota winter, you know."

They began trudging up the path through a small layer of snow that was already about two inches thick. The thought of a snowy Christmas made Cress incredibly happy. But her happiness stalled momentarily when they passed through the trees and began to see the first inklings of lights on the cabin. If things didn't work out with Thorne, this could be the worst Christmas of her life.

"Whoa," said Thorne, stopping to take in the house. "You didn't tell me your cabin was actually a mansion. Your family owns this place?"

Cress kept walking. "It technically belongs to my aunts. They're kind of evil, but I think everyone puts up with them so they have some place to water ski in the summer."

Thorne snorted and she heard the wheels of her suitcase start grinding against the path again. He caught up with her quickly.

Before they could reach the door, it opened in front of them, and sure enough, out stepped her aunts.

"Crescent!" said Aunt Sybil. "How good of you to finally join us."

"And only three hours late," added Aunt Levana.

Cress frowned. She had timed it perfectly. They weren't late at all. "But the Facebook page said we should all arrive by nine for dessert and eggnog. No one was going to make it out of work in time for dinner."

"Plans changed, Crescent," said Aunt Sybil airily. "Didn't you see the notifications today? We moved the time up. Everyone had dinner at six. Dessert is over too."

"But..why didn't anyone call me asking where I was?"

Aunt Levana pursed her lips and turned to observe Thorne, as if she hadn't even noticed that he was there. "Come now, Crescent, don't be rude! Introduce us."

Thorne interlocked his fingers with hers then, nearly making her jump—not because the gesture was unwelcome, but because his fingers were ice cold. She plastered on a smile. "Of course. Thor- _Carswell_ , this is my aunt Sybil and her wife Levana."

Thorne dropped his hand from Cress's suitcase and extended it to both of her aunts, smiling as if he really were absolutely delighted to meet them. "Thank you for having me. You've got a wonderful house. And I must say, if Cress turns out to be as pretty as her aunts, she's going to be quite the looker when she's thirty. You're both about thirty, right? You could be Cress's older sisters for all I know." He winked at them, and they ate up his flattery instantly.

"Well, aren't you darling," Aunt Levana purred. "Handsome too. Wherever did you find him?"

"Yellow pages," Thorne joked.

Aunt Sybil raised her eyebrow at Aunt Levana. "This one might give Kai a run for his money. He's almost as cute as Kai."

Cress wanted to roll her eyes. Of course they would instantly compare Thorne to Kai. Everyone did. He was the perfect boyfriend with the perfect job and the perfect haircut and the perfect romantic date ideas. He was a little too perfect, in Cress's opinion, but she'd never tell her cousin Cinder that.

"Oh no, he would be impossible to beat," said Aunt Levana. Turning back to Cress and Thorne, she added: "He's my favorite nephew-in-law-to-be. One has to work hard for that title, Carswell. Kai has practically been in this family for four years already. And you two are just starting out."

"Yes," said Aunt Sybil. "Cress's first boyfriend."

Cress's heart plunged.

"We never thought she'd get one, did we Levana?"

Aunt Levana smiled at Cress like she was the most pathetic girl on the planet and she pitied her. "At first we had high hopes that she would be a lesbian, but no, it turns out she's just been incapable of getting dates all along."

Thorne gave Cress's hand a squeeze. "I think she's just picky. I had to work hard to get this one to go out with me." He beamed at Cress then, as if she were most perfect thing he'd ever seen. "Luckily she said yes. And even more lucky for me that she didn't waste her time on other guys. I don't know what I would have done if she'd already been taken when I'd met her."

Cress squeezed Thorne's hand back and tried to tell him with her eyes how thankful she was for his comment. To her aunts, she said, "Can we go inside please? We're freezing."

"Of course," they chorused, retreating back through the front door.

Thorne lugged the bags in and stood in the hallway as if expecting her aunts to offer to take their coats. When neither one of them did, he helped Cress out of hers and then took off his own. "Closet?" he asked.

Cress pointed to the door on the right and when he reemerged, Aunt Sybil gestured to the stairs. "Levana will take you to your room. Once you've settled in, come down and say hello to everyone. We've all had a long day and would like to get some sleep before the festivities start tomorrow, so don't take too long."

"But—"

"Crescent, do as you're told," said her aunt sharply, before turning in the opposite direction.

Cress looked helplessly at Aunt Levana. "Um, what did she mean, _our_ room? Aren't Winter and I sharing a room?"

Aunt Levana huffed and began to walk up the stairs. "We have a full house, Crescent. Are you suggesting that Jacin and Carswell, who are complete strangers, share a bed?"

She felt a firm poke in her back from Thorne, who was following her up the stairs slowly with the bags. "N-no," she said. "But I just figured—I mean, can't I sleep with Iko?"

"Iko brought a date."

Cress nearly stumbled, but Thorne caught her. "She did? Who!"

Iko never got serious enough with anyone to want to bring them home.

Aunt Levana crossed her arms at the top of the stairs and gave Cress a disapproving look. "Why does it matter, Crescent? You're making it seem like you don't want this handsome gentleman to share a room with you. Have you completely forgotten your manners this Christmas?"

"It's not that. It's just… _Dad_. You know how he is. He'll never agree to us sharing a room, let alone a _bed_."

"You are still such a naïve little girl. You don't think your father knows what you do on your own time?" Her eyes trailed up and down Thorne suggestively, who had just finished bringing the suitcases to the top of the stairs.

When he caught Levana looking at him like that, he gave her a bit of a weird look. "Cress and I don't wish to overstep any boundaries that her father may have instituted. I've heard he can be a little old-fashioned."

"Winter and Jacin are sharing a room. Come along now, you're wasting my time."

Cress hurried after her aunt. "But Winter and Jacin are engaged." _And Winter gets whatever she wants_ , she added silently.

"Sweetheart," said Thorne from behind her. "Let's not make it a bigger deal than it needs to be. If everyone's fine with it, then we're fine with it."

"Precisely," said Aunt Levana. She opened the last door at the end of hallway and gave Cress another annoyed look. "Now before you can complain again, you were the last couple to show up, so everyone's already picked rooms and this is what's left. Oh, and do take care not to be too loud tonight," she added dryly, and then walked away, her heels clicking in the hallway.

Face flushed, Cress didn't even need to look in the room to know that it was the same bedroom where she usually slept—without a date. It was the only room that didn't have a queen-sized bed. Just a full. There was no couch, no TV, and a little dresser that would only hold half the clothes she'd brought.

It was not meant for two people.

Though it had vaguely crossed her mind, sharing a tiny bed with Thorne had not been the plan for the weekend. Where was Ran sleeping? Couldn't he have this little room instead, or did he suddenly have a partner she'd never heard anything about?

"You look like you're going to cry," said Thorne, brushing past her. He had to turn her suitcase sideways to get it through the door. Setting it on the ground, he let out a long breath. "I really hope that beast doesn't need to leave this room for the rest of the weekend."

Cress didn't say anything. She walked past him and sat down on the bed, hanging her head in her hands. Though she knew it wouldn't make a difference to him, she was embarrassed that he had already learned so much about her from her aunts in just under five minutes. At least they had liked him. That had been an important step forward, hadn't it?

The mattress sank and Thorne's hands began massaging her shoulders. She shrugged him off. "We don't have to pretend in here," she said.

"Come on," he said, but he backed off and laid down on other side of the bed, which was still far too close for Cress's liking. "They weren't _that_ bad."

"I've had boyfriends before," she burst out. She fixed her gaze on the dresser to the side of the bed and wished for it to swallow her up and transport her to a different realm, like in some of the books she'd read. "It never got serious enough to bring anyone home, that's all."

"It doesn't really matter to me," said Thorne. "One boyfriend, ten boyfriends, a different boyfriend every day—it's none of my business."

"It matters to me."

She got up and unzipped her suitcase. There were a few outfits she could at least fit into the dresser and maybe others she could hang up on the curtain rod. Maybe Winter would let her use a few hangers in her closet, since she probably had gotten one of the master bedrooms on this floor.

"Okay, it matters to you. Why?"

He was laying on the bed, his head propped up on the pillow, studying her. She went back to her suitcase.

"I'm twenty-two years old. I'm done with college—"

"Yes, I read your bio. I'm up to speed."

She glared at him, a pair of leggings in one hand and a dress in the other. "And I've never even kissed—" Cress bit her lip, her cheeks burning again. It was none of his business, anyway. Why should she confess something so personal to him? "Nevermind."

"No way."

She gritted her teeth and ignored him.

"No _way_."

"I don't want to talk about it."

But Thorne came to stand by her anyway. He took the dress from her and draped it over the curtain rod and then forced her to look at him. "You just said you've had other boyfriends. How could you never have kissed anyone?" She gave him a look and his eyebrows shot up. "When you said they didn't get serious enough, that's what you meant?"

"They were more like dates," she admitted. "And two of them did kiss me. They were just pecks though, as you put it. I don't think it really counts."

Thorne whistled. Then he ran his hands through his hair. "Listen, no judgement, okay? Society makes it a big deal, your aunts clearly make it a big deal, but it's not a big deal to me. It's just…surprising. And a bit of a hiccup in our plan."

Cress groaned and threw herself on the bed, forgetting about putting away the leggings. "Why is it a hiccup?"

He sat down next to her, looking very concerned. She didn't like it. His expression made her feel like she was once again someone to be pitied. She closed her eyes while he spoke.

"I told you that at a certain point we're going to have to execute a convincing, romantic kiss. It's something that always happens when there's people to impress, sweetheart. Unavoidable. And now I'm not sure we're going to be able to pull it off."

Her eyes flew open.

"I can pull off a passionate kiss in almost any circumstance. But I've never tried it with someone who's never really kissed someone before. There would be tongue."

She blushed. "I know what a kiss is. I'm not five."

"True, but real life first kisses aren't as romantic as they portray them to be in the movies. They can be sloppy if one or both partners don't know what they're doing, _especially_ if they don't care about each other. Sometimes there's even a little drool."

"I do not drool!"

He laughed and bent his head over her, shifting a little on the mattress. "I'm _not_ saying you're going to drool. I just don't think it's a smart move to try to make your first kiss look like we've been kissing for six months. It's already awkward enough with clients that have had lots of experience before." He poked her nose. "But it's up to you, of course. You're the client."

Cress stared up at him. From how she was laying on the bed and how he was leaning over her, it was almost intimate. She tried to imagine this attractive guy in dozens—maybe hundreds—of other scenarios where he was about to execute one of his so-called _romantic kisses_.

The thought gave her pause.

"You're not…suggesting…that we…?"

Thorne tried to hide his grimace, but Cress saw it before he plastered on a look of nonchalance. He ran his tongue over his lower lip. "Probably."

Cress closed her eyes again. "How much is that going to cost me?"

Thorne cleared his throat and she dared look up at him again. "I don't really feel comfortable charging someone for her first real kiss." His eyes wandered around the room. "I don't feel entirely comfortable being the one to give you your first real kiss either, but I suppose that's a different matter altogether."

"I don't feel comfortable with it either."

"Then it's decided," he said firmly, getting off the bed.

Cress reached for his hand and he froze. If she wanted this to work, she had to be prepared to pull out all the stops. She already spent her entire savings on this man. She didn't want that sacrifice to go to waste. And maybe if she practiced with a man who was clearly an expert at kissing, it would help her in the future when she finally did have a real boyfriend to kiss.

"Wait…"

Thorne's eyes searched hers. "You seem like a nice girl. I don't know."

She let go of his hand and sat up, trying to make herself look professional. This was just a business transaction, and it was not about feelings or using each other, it was just about…learning. That's what she told herself at least. "What if we view it as a performance like the rest of this weekend?" she said, trying to get her voice not to shake. "It's not a _real_ first kiss, but a lesson in technique. I have a Theater major and can separate my emotions easily from romantic lines and gestures and that sort of thing. And you…do this sort of thing all the time. So, clearly you can detach yourself as well. We just need to…rehearse."

He studied her for a long time, making Cress want to squirm. Then he finally nodded and sat down next to her. Cress's heart pounded in her chest. It could have been from nerves. Or maybe it was the fact that she kept lying to him.

She had never needed to rehearse any type of romantic situation with anyone because her concentration had actually been in using technology to enhance theater productions. No one really understood what that meant though, and she liked to imagine that the acting classes she had actually taken throughout college had made her a great actress, so did the details really matter?

"I-I don't want you doing anything you're not comfortable with either," she added quickly.

His lips quirked up in a sideways smile. "It wouldn't be the worst thing a client has made me do."

"Would you, um, stop calling me your client? At least while we do this."

He laughed. "Sure thing, beautiful."

His hand reached for her cheek but she flinched. "Thorne?"

"Yes…?"

"I might need you to walk me through this."

Thorne thought for a moment. "Good idea. We should just decide right now how we want to kiss, and then when the moment presents itself, there won't be any doubt. Then we only have to practice it once."

She nodded and looked down.

He tilted her chin back up. "Eye contact. Super important. Don't lose it. The only place you're allowed to look besides my eyes are my lips."

She swallowed and tried to focus on his eyes. They were an intense blue. And they were boring right back into her eyes.

"Good," he said. "You're looking at me this way because you want me. You want me so bad it's consuming you. All you can think about is how you need to have my lips on yours."

She swallowed again, feeling her own mouth run dry.

"And I need you just as badly. That's why I can't see anyone but you right now. But my eyes keep dipping down to your lips because I'm ready to kiss you. That's how you'll know."

Cress thought her eyes might water from staring at him so intently, so she quickly blinked and moved her focus to his lips. They were slightly parted. Heat creeping up her cheeks, she looked back in his eyes.

 _Stars_ , he was a fantastic actor.

Totally deserving of his 99% satisfaction rate.

She tried not to think about that now.

"Are you ready to kiss me…Cress?" He whispered her name, making her heart pound even faster.

"Y-yes."

He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and bit his lower lip. She tried not to stare at him until she remembered that she was supposed to be staring at him.

"It's not too late to say no."

"I know."

"I just wanted to make sure you knew."

She dropped her gaze and threw up her hands. "Can we just get it over with?"

"Fine."

"Fine."

His eyes locked with hers again but she drew away. "I get that we stare at each other for an unbearably long time, okay? I doubt my family will give us the chance to drool over each other for that amount of time anyway. Not _literally_ drool, just _look at each other with hunger because we want each other so badly_ , or whatever line you used."

Thorne's shoulders started to shake and he placed a hand over his mouth but eventually he couldn't keep himself from laughing. She shot him an annoyed look as he tried to calm down. "You're a piece of work," he said when he had caught his breath. "Staring at each other with hunger— _check_."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, let's go."

Cress repositioned herself so her face was less than a foot away from Thorne's, and he tried to put on a serious face. "All right, beautiful. Here's what we're going to do. We'll keep the staring to a minimum, but my eyes going back to your lips are always going to be the cue for you that it's coming. Then we would crash together"—he laughed again and shook his head—"but that's going to be too overwhelming right now so we'll go slow. Once you get the hang of it we can practice it at a quicker pace."

"Okay."

"I'm going to give you a closed-lip kiss first—one, maybe two, yeah, two—and linger. Then we'll really kiss. If it works for you, then if we're stuck under the mistletoe or something we'll just do the lingering part. Got it?"

Cress's breathing came a little quicker. One, two, linger. She could handle that.

Maybe.

_It was just a rehearsal, it was just a rehearsal, it was just a rehearsal._

"You look like you're going to pass out."

"Just playing my part." She tried to make a flirtatious face, which must have been somewhat successful because Thorne's expression changed from worry to intrigue. "It's because I want you _so_ bad."

He grinned at her sarcasm, took her face in his hands, and kissed her.

Cress closed her eyes, feeling his lips move against hers. This she had done before. This she knew. She kissed him back and he pulled away. She opened her eyes robotically. He shut his again almost instantly and therefore so did she, and this time when he kissed her, he didn't pull away, instead tightening his hold on her face.

Then came his tongue.

She had known it was coming but it still felt like an invasion in her mouth, even though she got the feeling that he knew what he was doing. She tried to mimic his movements.

 _She was an actress_ , she reminded herself.

She dug her hands into his hair.

His lips left hers.

"Good," he said, wiping his mouth with his hand. "You can ease up on the tongue a little, but otherwise it was okay."

"Do I pass?"

He chuckled, but avoided her gaze. "Let's try it one more time, and this time try to be less mechanical about it." He saw her face and his eyes widened. "I didn't mean that as a bad thing! Just that we're rehearsing, you know, and it was our first attempt, so the whole thing felt like it was planned."

"It _was_ planned," she said defensively.

"I know, I know." He scrunched up his face in thought. "Think about it this way. If it feels like kissing a robot, then everyone else will see right through us. It was _too_ planned."

"You were the one who wanted to plan it!" she said, standing up. Her nerves were beginning to get to her. She had better not have wasted her first kiss on this guy just so he could back out of their plan now.

"For exactly this reason. I'm not saying you're a bad kisser, just that we have no chemistry. Now we know and can fix it."

"You can't create chemistry, _Captain_ ," she said, attempting to mock his stupid fake title.

"Creating chemistry is what I do, sweetheart."

"Then create it!"

She turned away from him again, her hands shaking. She had made a terrible mistake. This was not going to work. They would know their relationship was a sham. _They would know._

Thorne came up behind her and encircled her in his arms like he had at Starbucks. "I know you're worried," he said into her ear. "I know you're stressed. I know you think that the world is ending right now just because that kiss didn't go exactly as we wanted." His thumbs brushed over her arms and she tried to relax. "I'm here. I have years of experience doing this. I need you to trust me when I say that this was for the best. Repeat after me: now we know and can fix it."

She closed her eyes. "Now we know and can fix it."

"I need gusto, woman."

Cress leaned her head against his chest. "Now we know and can fix it."

"Tell it to my face."

She turned around in his arms and stared up at him. "Now we know and can fix it."

He dropped his arms and walked to the bed. He sat on the edge and beckoned for her to come join him. She stood in front of him; she was so short that even with him sitting, she was just barely taller than him. At least now he could be the one craning his neck for a change.

"How are we going to fix it?" she asked, still somewhat glum.

He smiled devilishly. "Convince me you want me."

She crossed her arms. "Fine. I want you."

"I don't believe you. Put some passion into it."

She tried doing the hunger-eye thing, thinking he would kiss her if she stared at him long enough. He didn't move an inch.

"You've been wanting me for months and I've finally admitted how much I'm in love with you too. How do you kiss me?"

She gritted her teeth. Then she gave him a chaste kiss on the lips.

Even she knew it wasn't her finest moment.

She tried again.

"I'm going to start adding fifty bucks to your total for every time you kiss me like that."

Cress thought she might cry.

"Hey, wait, no…I was kidding. Just kiss me with all you've got. Take all of that pent up anger"—he gestured at her body—"and channel it into the kiss. Convince me you want me, _Crescent_."

"Don't call me Crescent."

He smirked. "Why not? Does it make you mad? Remind you why you're upset with your family? Why you had to hire a guy to pose as your boyfriend? Why you picked up the phone and dialed _1-800-Cap_ —"

Cress crushed her lips against Thorne's with so much force that they fell back on the bed. He caught her but she didn't break contact, instead propping herself up with one elbow and using the other hand to claw through his hair again. She began to explore every inch of his mouth and after a heated minute he pulled on her lip, but she claimed it back and took his along with hers. His hand snaked around her waist and she felt the pads of his fingertips against the wool of her sweater.

Then an exaggerated throat clearing made Cress withdraw instantly and open her eyes. Thorne was breathless beneath her, his lips red and his hair mussed up from the way she'd attacked it. She scrambled off of him, consequently falling off the bed and hitting the floor which such force that she thought she heard her knee crack.

She winced and sat up, panting, to see who had entered the room.

Her eyes widened in horror. "Dad!"


	4. Chapter 4

Thorne sprang off the bed immediately, smoothing down his clothes, but missed the fact that his dress shirt had untucked itself in the back and was sticking out from under his sweater. "Mr. Darnel! I mean—Dr. Darnel. Sir." He stood as straight as a board, his hands hanging at his sides, then took a step towards her dad. "It's such an honor to finally meet you."

He stretched out his hand, but Cress's dad eyed him waspishly and did not engage in a handshake. Thorne let his hand fall awkwardly at his side. Her father took his time staring down Thorne. To his credit, Thorne stared back, but the confidence that had been in place in Thorne's demeanor since she'd met him seemed to be wavering.

"Dad," said Cress, using the bed to pull herself to her feet. He turned his head to her, as if he'd forgotten she were in the room. If he were a dragon, his nostrils would have been alight with smoke. He narrowed his eyes and turned back to stare at Thorne. Cress gulped. "Dad," she tried again. "This is my boyfriend, Carswell—"

"I know who he is," he said.

"Thank you so much for having us, sir," said Thorne, looking as if he were trying to reclaim the situation. "It's—"

"Was I speaking to you?"

Thorne glanced at Cress, who was starting to panic internally. She wanted to go to her dad—to hug him, distract him, anything, but she was rooted to where she stood on the carpet. This was not at all the happy scenario she had imagined when introducing Thorne to her parents.

"You say it's an _honor_ to meet me," her dad continued. His voice dripped with disdain and a hint of mockery. "Yet the first thing you do when entering my household is try to take my daughter to bed!"

Thorne held up his hands. "Whoa, that was not what was happening here at all."

 _It's not even your household_ , Cress wanted to add, but as usual, her tongue was stuck to the roof of her mouth. She had known her dad would react this way. That was why she had tried to avoid any semblance of bed sharing at all. Her stupid aunts had set her up!

"I am an OBGYN! Do you not think I know how babies are made? I see the repercussions of men like you taking advantage of innocent girls all the time."

Thorne cleared his throat and turned to Cress again, as if he were expecting her to chime in at any time. When she didn't, he held up his hands again and… _laughed._ He dared laugh when her father was probably getting ready to castrate him?

"Listen, Dr. Darnel. This has been a huge misunderstanding. Yes, your daughter and I were kissing but that's all it was. We were laughing about how small the bed was—because c'mon, this thing isn't meant for two people—and sometimes when you laugh, and you're in a bed with the one you love…" he trailed off, as if not exactly convinced by what he was about to say.

Cress finally spoke up. "I thought I was sleeping with Winter! I tried to change rooms but Aunt Levana got mad at me when I suggested it."

"Oh you'll be changing rooms after this, all right," her dad huffed. "In fact, it looks like your boyfriend and I will be getting to know each other rather well this weekend because he'll be sharing a bed with _me_."

Cress's mouth dropped open and a sudden wave of defiance came over her. "He certainly will not be!" Both Thorne and her father turned their gazes on her. Encouraged, she plucked up some more bravery. "If everyone else is sleeping with their significant others, then I'm going to sleep with mine!" Her face heated, realizing what she's said. "I don't mean _sleep_ with mine, I mean _sleep_ sleep," she stuttered.

"With all due respect, sir, Cress _is_ old enough to make her own decisions about who she sleeps with…" said Thorne. "Or next to," he added quickly, seeing her father's eyes simmer.

" _Everyone else_ ," he said, his tone still laced with poison, "has a respectable boyfriend. One who wouldn't wait six months to introduce himself to the family! Cress would never hide the fact that she had a boyfriend unless said boyfriend"—he pointed at Thorne—"was obviously a bad influence."

"I resent that," said Thorne firmly, making Cress want to gasp. He walked over to Cress and put his arm around her, almost protectively. "I've never done anything but treat your daughter with the utmost respect. And furthermore I'm offended at your insinuation earlier that I would take advantage of your daughter. I would _never_ do something like that."

The two of them began their staring match again, but this time Thorne did not shrink back.

Cress wanted to die. This was her punishment for lying to her family: Her father wanting to kill her fake boyfriend and her fake boyfriend deciding to be stupidly noble and talk back to her father. There was no way it could end well. The weekend was ruined. Ruined!

"Oh, Saa-age!"

All three of them jumped, three pairs of eyes turning to the door.

"Mom," Cress whispered, and ran to the hallway. She nearly collided with her mom, who had a cup of eggnog in one hand and an overly happy smile on her face.

She hugged her daughter with her free arm. "Cress, dear, whatever is taking so long?"

"Mom, help! Dad is going to kill Carswell!"

Looking amused, her mother sauntered into the tiny bedroom. Cress followed her, and suddenly the space felt even more cramped.

"Hello-o, handsome!" sang her mother, completely ignoring her fuming husband and embracing Thorne. Her eggnog sloshed in her cup and a bit spilled out onto the carpet. Cress wondered if this were her fourth or fifth cup already.

"Mrs. Darnel," said Thorne, sidestepping the spilled eggnog and taking her hand. He pressed a kiss to her knuckles. "It's so great to finally meet you. I can now see where Cress gets her beauty."

Her mother tittered and took a sip of her drink. "Don't be silly, call me Rosie." She raised her eyebrows disapprovingly at Cress's dad. "Sage, why have you been keeping them all to yourself? I sent you up here ten minutes ago to get them!"

Her father, who looked flustered at his wife's sudden appearance, inhaled sharply. "I was detained, Rosemary, because these two were—they were— _kissing_." He said it as though it were the most scandalous thing two people could ever do.

"Aww," said her mother, beaming at Cress. "How cute."

"No," said her father sharply. "Perhaps I didn't clarify the situation enough. Our daughter was—she was— _lying on top of him_. On the bed."

Her mother laughed and patted her husband on the cheek. "Calm down, darling, you'll give yourself high blood pressure."

"Rosemary, they were attacking each other like animals!" her father tried again, making Cress want to disappear behind Thorne.

"Believe me, if I were thirty years younger I'd be attacking him myself. Just look at him!"

"Mom!" said Cress, who was now more scandalized than her father.

Thorne was observing them curiously, looking like he wanted to place bets on what would happen next.

"I've informed them that we'll be changing sleeping arrangements," her father continued. "Carswell and I will be sharing a room and you and Cress will be together."

Her mother snorted. "Don't be ridiculous." She surveyed the little bed behind her. "What are they doing in this room anyway? It's not meant for two."

"That's what I said!" said Cress. "Why can't Ran stay here?"

"Indeed," said her mother. She downed the rest of her eggnog. "I'll go talk to my sisters. I'm sure Sybil and Maha will agree that Ran doesn't need such a large room all to himself. Well, at least Maha will agree." She shrugged and began to walk toward the door. "Come along, dears, everyone's _dying_ to meet you."

When she disappeared out the door, Cress's dad narrowed his eyes at Thorne once again. "I'm watching you," he whispered. Then, with a low growl, he added, "We're a hunting family. I own a lot of guns."

Thorne nodded. "Got it, sir."

But then her dad turned to Cress. "I expected more from you, Crescent."

Her face fell as the three of them shuffled out the door, but she didn't know what she could say to make the situation better. She also didn't know why she had just advocated for her and Thorne to continue sharing a room when she could have easily agreed to her father's terms. But Thorne was right—she was twenty-two years old and certainly old enough to make her own decisions. For once, she was not going to be the weird one in the family who needed special accommodations.

Thorne slipped his hand around hers when they got to the bottom floor, which reminded her that she needed to breathe. Her parents went ahead of them but Cress stopped Thorne and clutched at her stomach.

All those people were waiting for their big entrance. All those people would be scrutinizing her every move this weekend.

"I can't do this," she whispered. "Let's run away, Thorne. I'll—I'll text them later and say one of us got violently ill, or that we broke up, or that—that—"

Thorne grabbed her by the elbow rather forcefully and dragged her into the bathroom. He shut the door behind him and locked it. "Sit," he commanded, snapping his fingers at the toilet.

Cress shakily put down the lid and did as she was told.

Thorne leaned over the sink and stared at his reflection in the mirror. Then he yanked the faucet up and let the water rush into the basin. He didn't wash his hands; he sat down on the ground in front of Cress and crossed his legs.

"All right, let's have it," he said. She stared at him but he just motioned with his fingers as if adding _let's get this over with._ "Freak out, sweetheart. As long as you don't scream, no one will hear you over the running water."

She didn't scream. She couldn't. She just felt like she was going to hyperventilate.

"I know that didn't go well."

"Didn't go well! You argued with my dad!" She lowered her voice. "After he walked in on me lying on top of you!"

Thorne grinned. "And he totally bought it. The man practically had a heart attack."

"He hates you now!"

"But he thinks we're together," said Thorne smugly. He leaned his head against the wall. "Looks like we won't need to do another romantic kiss after all. After that show, he probably _would_ kill me if I tried to kiss you again."

Cress bit her lip. "I'm sorry it got so out of hand. I didn't mean to push you on the bed."

He shrugged. "It's done. Let's move on."

"But my dad still hates you," she said miserably.

"So I'll win him over."

Cress watched the water pour out of the faucet. The room was starting to steam up, so she reached over to turn the water to cold. The last thing she wanted was for someone to think they were making out in the bathroom. As soon as the thought crossed her mind she knew it was too late. Why else would they be in there? She covered her face with her hands. "This is a disaster."

"Stop it."

She peaked through one of her fingers at Thorne's harsh tone. He had never spoken to her like that before.

"You're psyching yourself out for no reason. You think he's the worst dad I've ever met? Not by a long shot. And your mother balances him out, so as a couple they'll be easy to work over. You'll see."

Cress tried to be positive, but the look of disappointment on her father's face was still haunting her—would continue to haunt her. And then, over the running water, she heard a loud, musical, feminine laugh. She closed her eyes.

"What?" asked Thorne. "What just happened?"

"Nothing," she said quickly. She reached behind her and flushed the toilet.

Which was a really stupid thing to do.

Why would she flush a toilet while in the bathroom with her boyfriend? Oh stars, everyone would think that she was _peeing_ in front of her boyfriend. It really was a disaster. No _, she_ was the disaster.

"I'm not even going to comment on that," said Thorne, giving her the same weird look he'd given Aunt Levana. "But you're still freaking out and it's not just because of your dad. Spill."

She hesitated before whispering the words: "You're going to fall in love with Winter."

Thorne raised an eyebrow. "Your sister? You think that a guy who's getting paid to be your boyfriend— _by you, may I add_ —is going to be stupid enough to fall in love with her sister?"

"She's the most beautiful girl you'll probably ever meet. Everyone falls in love with her."

"Well I'm in love with you," he said dryly, then stood up. Then he eyed her suspiciously. "Wait, is she a cheater? Is she going to try to get with _me_?"

Cress shook her head adamantly. "No, she's very much in love with her fiancé."

"Well there you go. I'm in love with you. She's in love with him. There's no problem except the one you're creating in your mind."

"I bet you tell girls you love them all the time."

He did not look thrilled at her statement. "So?"

"How many have you told?"

"Do we really have to do this right now?"

"How many?"

"Hundreds," he said, shrugging. "Kind of comes with the job. And on that note, I've accompanied hundreds of girls on hundreds of dates and met at least forty or fifty families by now. So, up you go." He held out his hand and she reluctantly took it. Thorne gently pushed her towards the mirror. "You've got a bit of makeout hair," he said.

Cress tried to comb out her hair with her fingers. Thorne stood behind her and inspected both of them in the mirror. When he had approved both of their looks, she told him that his shirt had come undone. He hastily shoved it back in and plastered on an enormous smile. "Let's go blow them away, sweetheart."

He grabbed her hand again and led her out of the bathroom. To her surprise, no one was waiting for them, but she heard Winter's musical laugh echoing down the hallway again. They followed it to the living room, passing the exuberant marble statues that her aunts had imported from Greece when they'd first bought the cabin.

The chatter in the living room died the instant they walked in. A fire was almost down to ashes in the hearth, but it cackled in the sudden quiet. Heat rose on Cress's cheeks but it had nothing to do with the temperature in the room.

"Well, if it isn't little Crescent Moon," drawled a voice towards the back of the room. Cress saw her cousin Ran sitting with legs slung over the armrest of the long L-shaped couch. "All grown up with her big, bad boyfriend," he continued, then smirked. "We heard you two already got the party started upstairs."

"Oh, shut up Ran," said Ze'ev, who was sitting next to him. "You're just jealous that _you're_ the single one this year."

Cress's face lit up with a smile. Where she could barely ever think of nice things to say about Ran, his brother Ze'ev was by far her favorite cousin. Six years older than her and fiercely protective, he was the closest thing to an older brother she had ever had. Ran was older than her too, but he just acted like a child most of the time. And she would never forgive him for trying to burn the tips of her hair when they were children.

"Hi everyone," she said, gripping Thorne's hand like she were about to fall off a cliff. "This is my boyfriend, Carswell Thorne."

There were a few murmurs of _hello_ and more than a few whistles.

"Hey," said Thorne, offering up a little wave. "It's great to meet all of you."

"I'm delighted," said Winter, who was sitting on the floor by the fireplace. "To think that Cress has had a boyfriend for the last six months that we didn't even know about!"

"She's sneaky, isn't she," Thorne joked.

Winter smiled then, her flawless, pearl-white smile that rendered more than just the average man putty in her hands. Cress waited for Thorne to do a double take. But his expression didn't even change. "I'm Winter," she cooed. "Cress's older sister." She regarded everyone in the room. "I think we should all go around and say who we are. No need to put poor Carswell on the spot." She winked at Thorne. "I hear you've already met Mom and Dad."

Cress nodded. "Good idea, Winter." Anything to get out of the limelight.

"I'm Ze'ev and this is my wife Scarlet," said Ze'ev, pointing to the redhead on his right. "We'll be the ones making your life miserable if you hurt Cress."

"Good to know," said Thorne, "but I don't intend to."

Ze'ev tilted his head to the left. "And you've already met Ran."

Ran scowled. "I can't believe _they_ get my room."

"Manners," said Aunt Maha, then turned to face Cress and Thorne. "I'm Maha, Rosie's sister."

"Our mom," supplied Ze'ev.

"Thanks for helping us out with the room," said Thorne.

"I'm Iko," said Iko. "I belong to _this_ family." She pointed at Aunt Adri and Cinder, who introduced themselves as well. "But I'm technically a step-cousin. And this is my date, Liam Kinney." Iko looked proudly at Cress. "Isn't he gorgeous?"

Liam looked embarrassed. "Thanks, Iko," he said, and Cress nearly melted. He was super cute _and_ had an Irish accent. She _loved_ guys with accents. "It's nice to meet both of you." To Thorne, he said: "Glad I'm not the only new guy this weekend."

Kai, who was leaning on Cinder in the L-shaped couch, introduced himself next as Cinder's long-time boyfriend, and told Thorne that he would be joining Scarlet and Ze'ev in making his life miserable if he did anything to hurt Cress.

Aunt Sybil and Aunt Levana feigned an interested hello again, since they had already met him. They sat squashed on the second couch next to Cress's dad, who was still looking sour and avoiding eye contact.

"Where are Pearl and Peony and Uncle Garan? And Jacin?" asked Cress.

"Pearl and Peony aren't back from their study abroad trip yet. They'll be home after the New Year," said Aunt Adri. Cress didn't mind their absence; she had always found the twins to be a little over-the-top. "Garan—that's Rosie's brother and my husband—is out getting some things in town with Jacin," continued Aunt Adri. "It seems we're already out of eggnog." She shot a look at Cress's mom, but it went mostly unnoticed.

"Aren't we just one, peachy family," drawled Aunt Levana. "I think we waited long enough for these lovebirds to show up, so let's call it a night, shall we?"

Cress checked her watch. It was almost ten o'clock. "Is everyone going to bed?"

"Everyone else arrived on time, Crescent," said Aunt Sybil. "We're exhausted from the night's events."

"Oh come now, Sybil," said her mom. "If the kids want to stay up later, they can. No one's keeping you from going to bed."

With that, the adults began to file out of the room. Cress's mom stopped in front of Cress and Thorne before leaving. "You've got Ran's room, so make sure you move your things before he goes to sleep." Then she rolled her eyes. "And Sage wants me to tell you that it's the room next to ours." She placed a kiss on Cress's forehead and patted Thorne's cheek before heading out.

The second they left, Ze'ev and Kai were in front of them, arms folded. Now it was Cress's turn to roll her eyes. "Guys, he's fine," she said, pretending to put herself in between Thorne and them.

Ze'ev eyed him suspiciously. "What are your intentions with Cress?"

Thorne raised an eyebrow. "A fair question, but not the type of conversation we should be having right in front of her."

"Excellent point," said Ze'ev, looking down at Cress and then back up at Thorne. He nodded at Kai. "He should come hunting with us tomorrow."

"The guys are going anyway," Kai confirmed. "We can interrogate him then."

"It's rude to talk about someone while he's standing right in front of you," Cress said to their chests. She hated being so short.

"Hunting sounds awesome," said Thorne. "I'm a decent shot."

"Liam!" called Kai over his shoulder. "You're coming too, end of story."

Liam, who had Iko wrapped around him on the couch, came up for air. "I don't know if Iko's going to let me go." They resumed kissing.

Scarlet walked over to them. Putting her hands on her hips, she glared at Ze'ev. "I don't understand why I can't go hunting too."

"Sorry, Scar," he said, smiling as if she'd just said she loved him. "Guys only this time."

She huffed. "I'm a better shot than half the men in this family."

"And that's why I married you," he said, still smiling. "But all of you women can bond tomorrow while us men do what nature intended."

"Drink beer?" asked Cinder, coming up to join the group. She and Scarlet high-fived. Then she gave Thorne a once-over. "I want to go hunting too, if only to witness Uncle Sage interact with this one without Aunt Rosie around to contain him."

Cinder, Kai, Ze'ev, and Scarlet laughed. Cress did not.

Thorne gave Cinder a sideways grin. "I think I can handle myself."

They all exchanged glances. Kai patted Thorne on the shoulder. "You keep telling yourself that, buddy."

"And maybe say some prayers tonight," Cinder added.

Cress groaned. "Stop trying to freak him out. I'm sure Dad will come around."

Winter came up behind Cress and gave her a hug from the back. She hadn't seen her sister in almost two months and it was strange to be back in her presence. She leaned into the hug, though, and smiled.

"I think Carswell should talk to Jacin before they go hunting," said Winter. "Dad loves him."

"Of course he does," Cress muttered, but she didn't think anyone heard her. They were all murmuring their agreement for Jacin's status of approval.

"When's he coming back?" asked Thorne, seemingly eager to get any advice he could.

"Oh, not until later," said Winter airily. "It takes a long time to get anywhere around here. And you saw Mom. She's going to need _a lot_ of eggnog."

"Carswell can just meet him tomorrow, then," said Cress. "I think we should get to bed anyway."

"Oooh," called Ran. "What's your hurry?"

"I'm just tired, Ran, but thank you for your concern," she said through gritted teeth.

Kai put his arm around Cinder's waist. "We should get to bed too. I need my sleep if I'm going to kill all those moose tomorrow."

"You can't even hit a _deer_ ," said Scarlet.

Kai and Scarlet began a heated argument with Ze'ev, Cinder, and Winter all rushing to put in their opinions on just how good—or bad—Kai's hunting skills really were. Cress seized the opportunity to whisper to Thorne that she wanted to leave now so could they please get going? He made a big show of yawning and then kissed her on the cheek.

"Cress and I are going to call it a night," said Thorne. "Kai, Ze'ev—I'm excited for hunting tomorrow." He fist bumped them, which somehow worked despite the fact that they'd only met a few minutes ago. "Ladies," he said to Winter, Cinder, and Scarlet, "it's been such a pleasure. Can't wait to get to know all of you this weekend." Then he called out, "Hey Liam! Don't forget to breathe."

"Sure thing, mate," said Liam, pulling away from Iko for just a second.

"Well," said Thorne, once they had started walking away from the living room. "It looks like at least some of your relatives aren't that conservative."

"It's just my dad. He's not even that way with Winter."

"Aw, you're just his little girl," he said, nudging her.

" _Don't_ call me little girl."

Thorne looked like he wanted to retort, but then changed his mind. "Your wish is my command."

" _Stop_ _saying that_."

He paused on the staircase. He made the same face, but just shook his head this time. The second they got into the tiny bedroom he opened his mouth again. "Something wrong?"

Cress let out a delirious laugh. Then she ignored him and began packing up the few things she had undone before her kissing lessons had begun. Thorne hadn't even bothered opening up his duffel bag, so he just stood there and watched her in silence. When she zipped up her suitcase, though, he pried it out of her hands.

"I can roll my own bag!"

"Of course you can. But I insist that me and"—he glanced down at the brand stitched into her suitcase—"the Rampion here are going to be best friends this weekend. You wouldn't try to come between best friends, now would you?"

"Fine," she said. "Hope you and _the Rampion_ have a wonderful night together!"

She practically sprinted out of the room, leaving Thorne to fend for himself.

He joined her in the new bedroom a few minutes later. And when he did, he whistled when he observed his surroundings. "Looks like the Thornes got upgraded," he said, his lips curling into a smile. "If this is the punishment we get for misbehaving, I say we misbehave all weekend!"

"Can we stop pretending for the rest of the night?"

Thorne kept whistling though, this time picking up the _All I Want For Christmas Is You_ tune again.

"Stop!"

He did. "You know, I'm trying to be nice here, but I really can't figure out the cause of your current mood swing." He threw his duffel bag onto the bed with a plop and began to spread out his clothes on the covers. "Everything went fine in there, in case you didn't notice."

"Sorry if I'm not ecstatic that I just lied to my entire family, not to mention gave a tongue bath to a complete stranger! And now I'm about to share a bed with that stranger, who has probably also shared a bed with hundreds of other girls!"

Thorne walked over to the gigantic wardrobe and began putting away his clothes. Though she had already seen the majority of his clothes, Cress thought she saw boxers with little aces and spades designs on them. She blushed and looked away, temporarily forgetting how miserable she was.

When Thorne had finished unpacking, he disappeared into the bathroom with a toiletries bag and a pile of clothes. Cress tore through her suitcase and scrambled into her pajamas the second she heard the shower turn on, afraid that Thorne would come out when she was changing.

While he took the world's longest shower, Cress had plenty of time to wallow in guilt. She no right to take out her misery on Thorne. She was the one that had hired him. She was the one that had kissed him so forcefully right when her dad had walked in. She was the one who wasn't telling him why he was here.

Not exactly, at least.

"I'm sorry," she said the second he emerged from the bathroom. Her eyes widened when she saw that he wasn't wearing a shirt. Just those Vikings sweatpants.

"Don't worry about it," he said, going back to the wardrobe and digging through it. He found a shirt and Cress watched, almost mesmerized, as he pulled it over his wet hair. "Like what you see?" he said cockily as he let it fall over his abs.

His rock-hard abs.

Thorne laughed and shut the wardrobe. "You're blushing again."

"I'm sorry," she said again, feeling silly.

He jumped onto the bed, making the mattress bounce. She scooted further to the edge of her side. Now that there was enough room for the two of them, there was no need to be close at all.

"I like your pajamas too," he said, winking at her. Then he crawled under the covers and rolled to his side. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," she whispered, reaching to her nightstand to turn off the light. She laid there for about two minutes before she said, "Thorne?"

A beat. "Yeah?"

"What did you think of Winter?"

She heard some shuffling and then saw the outline of his face in the dark as he turned toward her. "I'm not in love with her, if that's what you mean."

"But you saw how she smiled."

"Yes…"

"Do you think she's beautiful? Like…not how you call me beautiful because you have to, but because you really think so? No pretending?"

"No pretending?"

"Please."

"I think she has fake boobs."

Cress gasped. "She does not!"

"How do you know? Maybe she got them before she was adopted."

"She was ten years old!"

"Okay, so maybe that's a little early, but they're definitely fake."

Cress couldn't believe that Thorne had been looking at her sister's breasts. She tried to recall what Winter had been wearing, but she couldn't think of it. She was always wearing something extraordinarily flattering. Not that she needed to. Winter could get away with looking beautiful while wearing a plastic bag.

"I mean, she's hot, but a little _too_ hot, if you get my drift."

"She's trying to break into _modeling_. How can a girl be too hot?"

"As you so poignantly reminded us, I've spent a lot of time with all types of women. I'm somewhat of a connoisseur, you could say. There's something fake about her." He paused. "Maybe it's her _nose_."

Cress jabbed him in the shoulder. At least, she hoped it was his shoulder. It was kind of hard to see. "My sister does not have a nose job."

He chuckled. "All right, she's totally one hundred percent natural."

"…and beautiful?"

Thorne grunted. "You're really obsessed with this. Most guys, yes, would consider your sister absolutely beautiful."

"And you…?"

"She's okay," he said, then rolled over again.

Cress fell asleep trying to imagine what kind of girls Thorne must be used to dating if he thought Winter was only _okay_.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone asked how I got this idea and this is how: I saw a tumblr post about an ex-con who posted an ad to accompany women to Thanksgiving dinner and anger their fathers in exchange for a meal. I immediately thought of Thorne. But I thought he might do things a little differently—a little more suave, perhaps. And then I thought of the movie The Wedding Date and combined that with how I desperately wanted a fun Christmas Cresswell AU story. This tropey thing is a result of all those thoughts, and writing it proved that Cresswell once again deserved more than just a short one-shot, so now it's turned into this multi-chapter fic.

When the alarm on Thorne's phone vibrated on Saturday morning, he reached under his pillow and shut it off before it could wake Cress. He flinched back momentarily from the light on the screen when it hit his tired eyes. He couldn't remember the last time he'd woken up this early on a Saturday, let alone on Christmas Eve.

He pocketed the phone and stretched, letting his toes flex against the edge of the covers but making sure that his hands didn't accidentally touch the girl beside him. The bed was a definite upgrade from the first room they'd been meant to share, but it wasn't exactly a California King.

Thorne yawned and mentally whined about the time again, then glanced over at Cress. She was sleeping soundly, scrunched up into a ball and practically hugging the nightstand next to her side of the bed. He wanted to laugh, or at least pull her away from the edge, but he could understand that she was uncomfortable sleeping next to a man she didn't know.

Even if that man was charming, well mannered, and frighteningly sexy.

She definitely needed to chill out a little. She'd been uncomfortable around him since he'd met her. Granted, she wasn't the first girl who had been shy around him and certainly wouldn't be the last, but Cress eyed him like he made her kind of squeamish.

It wasn't exactly the vibe he wanted to give off.

Most of his clients were beyond flattered to be in his presence. He supposed she just needed to warm to him and gain confidence in his services. She'd seen his satisfaction rate in the reviews, and he'd explained the other 1%, but maybe he'd have to give her that extra boost of tender loving care that some of his clients required. He didn't just have to convince the girl's family—he had to convince the girl.

He tiptoed out of bed and carefully selected his outfit. Cress had done a terrible job of helping him pick appropriate clothes for the weekend, but since he was a pro at this, he had brought enough of a selection to be flexible. While everyone had been introducing themselves yesterday, he had taken the opportunity to observe, calculate, and plan.

When he had finished dressing, Thorne splashed his face with water and rubbed it dry with the little green and red washcloth before adding the finishing touch: two sprays of his secret weapon, a cologne called _Lady Luck_.

"Perfect," he said to the mirror, raising his eyebrows suggestively at his own reflection.

Once down the stairs, he headed straight for the kitchen, a new spring in his step despite his tiredness. Soon he would have a nice pot of coffee going, and he would wake Cress up with that and a steaming cup of tea—just in case she didn't like coffee but still needed a caffeine fix.

Mrs. Darnel was standing by the massive island counter with her own mug in hand when he entered. She was chatting with Winter and the cousin who was Kai's girlfriend—Cinder. He could remember her particularly because Kai was apparently the guy he was supposed to beat to become a family favorite. Knowing the girl was always a good strategy for getting to know the boyfriend. And Winter—becoming chummy with her and her fiancé could definitely help him earn some points with Cress's dad.

Thorne smiled warmly at them. "Good morning. Beautiful day, isn't it?"

He hadn't even bothered to look outside yet, but one glance at the large windows showed him that it was, in fact, a beautiful day, with a fresh layer of snow that shimmered in the sunlight. Without the cover of night, Thorne saw that there was also a frozen lake not far from the property.

"Good morning, Carswell!" said Rosie, beaming. She beamed a lot at him. It was a good sign, for sure, but the image of her spilling eggnog on the ground yesterday made him immediately suspicious of what exactly was in her mug. She came around the island and Thorne bent down so she could give him a kiss on the cheek in greeting.

Cheek kissing from family members already on Day 2. _Halfway there_ , he told himself.

Winter and Cinder nodded their greetings but remained sitting on the barstools. Cinder looked a little disheveled this early in the morning, but Winter looked positively radiant, just as she had the night before.

"Did you and Cress sleep okay?" asked Rosie.

"Like logs," said Thorne. "Have you three already eaten? I was planning on making some breakfast for Cress before she wakes up and I could cook up something for the three of you as well."

Cinder and Winter perked up. "Sure," they said in unison.

"Absolutely not!" said Rosie, trying to shoo him into one of the stools. "You're a guest and I won't have you working on your Christmas holiday."

"Mrs. Darnel," said Thorne, "I mean—Rosie. I heard that the men are going hunting today. I would feel terrible if I knew that you and the rest of the women were slaving away in the kitchen while we're out there having fun. What's a little breakfast compared to Christmas dinner?"

Cinder snorted into her mug. "Can you even cook?"

Accepting the challenge, he put on his humblest face. "Bacon and eggs okay?"

"But—" started Rosie.

"I insist," said Thorne at the same time that Winter said, "Just let him, Mom!"

Rosie finally sat down and he began his work, rummaging through the fridge for what he needed. His secret ingredient in scrambled eggs was adding _just_ the right amount of shredded cheese. He'd seen the exact recipe once while on holiday in the Caribbean and had used it ever since.

He did do himself the favor of pouring himself a nice cup of coffee though, as it was already set out on the island, before he set the bacon sizzling in the frying pan. Sybil and Levana's appliances were fancier than anything he'd ever owned.

Thorne was just planning on which questions to ask Cinder about her relationship with Kai when a hand looped its way around his arm that wasn't holding the spatula. Winter bumped her hip against his. "I want to know all about you, Carswell. My little sister has been mum about your whole relationship, and that won't do." She pouted at him—the kind of pout he recognized from girls who knew they were about to get exactly what they wanted.

Of course he gave her precisely that. "Well I'd be happy to let you in on all of our dirty little secrets," he said, bumping her hip back.

"Why even keep it a secret at all?" she asked.

Thorne sipped his coffee casually. "Ah, you know…when we started dating initially, she wasn't sure if it would last. And then when we started falling in love and making plans, you and Jacin got engaged. Cress felt like her excitement about it would overshadow yours. She's a little too considerate for her own good sometimes." He made a show of looking up to the ceiling. "Oh stars, I'm _so_ sorry. I completely forgot to congratulate you on your engagement! Cress has told me so much about your wedding plans."

Winter squealed and let go of his arm to clap her hands together. "Has she really?"

Thorne focused his memory on the page about Winter and Jacin in Cress's bio. "Of course. Great color choices. Cress looks amazing in her bridesmaid's dress." He whistled for effect.

"Kai likes mine too," said Cinder. "He's kind of a dork when it comes to stuff like that. Made me try it on like ten times at home. I could have killed him."

Thorne laughed and flipped the bacon. "Rosie, have you picked a dress for the ceremony yet?"

"No. Mom thinks she looks bad in everything," said Winter, rejoining her mom at the counter.

"I'm just waiting for sale season!" Rosie insisted. "But enough about us. Tell us about you and Cress. We're dying to know. How did you meet and do you have an older brother?"

"She's kidding," said Cinder flatly. Thorne raised his eyebrow at her and she mouthed, "Too much eggnog."

"I want to know how they met too," said Winter, apparently oblivious to her mother's attempts to hit on her sister's boyfriend.

"Mutual friends," said Thorne. He now wished that he had further discussed with Cress how they'd met during their drive up. He hadn't prepared for a scenario in which he'd have to tell the story on his own and then Cress could accidentally say something different later. "We were at the same party."

"Cress doesn't party," said Winter immediately.

"It wasn't a _crazy_ party," Thorne clarified. "Maybe twenty people or so at a surprise engagement." It was always important to not mention exact numbers when lying. It was too hard to remember exact facts, and people who were telling the truth couldn't remember that sort of detail six months later, anyway.

"I bet she was sitting in the corner by herself and you approached her," said Winter, smiling knowingly.

Though it was almost exactly what he had said to Cress yesterday, something about the way Winter said it made him want to contradict it. "You'll never even believe me if I tell you." Thorne went back to his frying pan and flipped the bacon one last time. It was almost cooked enough to add the eggs. He glanced back at the three women, who were eyeing him with curiosity. Exactly how he wanted them. "She was dancing on a table."

Winter and Rosie practically gasped.

Thorne laughed and held up his hand. "Not _that_ kind of table dancing. Cress would never do that."

"Thank the stars," said Cinder.

"The guy who was proposing to his girlfriend had planned out all these surprise things in anticipation of her saying yes. Which she did, of course," he added. "So I guess one of their things was that they met when they were really young and went through this _'N Sync_ phase together. I know, right? _'N Sync_ of all bands." Thorne began cracking open eggs to mix with the cheese. "So one of the surprises was that her girlfriends did a special rendition of _Bye, Bye, Bye_. Cress was one of those friends and you know how she loves to dance."

They stared at him.

He shrugged. "She always likes dancing around me. It's sort of our thing. But maybe that's because I like dancing too?"

"Cress did the _Bye, Bye, Bye_ dance?" said Cinder.

"What's that?" said Rosie.

"Shhh," said Winter. "Go on."

"They all had a part and Cress was supposed to be Justin Timberlake. Which, if I do say so myself, is the best role to be in if you have to do _Bye, Bye, Bye_. And that's about where I come in." He poured his egg and cheese mixture into the frying pan and began scrambling. "She's up there doing her thing, and she's like totally into it but you can tell she's also a little uncomfortable dancing in front of everyone. And I thought to myself: this is the best combination of sexy and adorable that I've ever seen. I've got to get to know this girl."

"Aww," said Winter, widening her eyes.

"So after the dance I go up to her all suave and like, ready to drop my game. And what happens? I totally clam up the second she looks at me. I'm such a sucker for her eyes."

"She takes after her father in that aspect," said Rosie, nodding.

"And then what happened?" asked Winter.

"I blabbed something stupid and she looked at me like I was an alien or something and went back to talking to her friends. Took me another half hour to work up the courage to approach her again. That's how I knew she was worth pursuing. Normally I'm not terrified of girls at all."

Finally satisfied with his bacon and eggs, he turned off the stove and began distributing the food onto plates. They, apparently satisfied with his story—and why shouldn't they be—began eating and asking follow-up questions about his first encounter with Cress. How long had it taken for her to say yes to a date? (She hadn't even given him her number initially, so quite some time). What had they done for their first date? (Gone to dinner). How long had it taken them to say 'I love you'? (Just two months—they both fell hard).

Thorne was helping himself to seconds when Cress came into the kitchen. He mentally berated himself for having forgotten to wake her up with coffee, but decided that his time laying important groundwork with her family was enough to justify the oversight.

He jumped off his stool as soon as he saw her, though. "Morning, beautiful." He gave her a warm smile and a peck on the lips. He could tell by the way her lips were made out of stone that she was working hard not to flinch away. "We've got bacon and eggs and coffee. What can I get you?"

"Carswell made the bacon and eggs," said Cinder, standing up and bringing her plate with her to the sink. "They're actually pretty good."

"Oh. Sure," said Cress. "Thank you, Carswell."

"He's such a sweet boy," said Rosie, who was beaming again at the sight of the two of them together. "He's just told us how you met and I must say, I can't wait to hear more about the two of you little cuties later!"

Cress rubbed the back of her neck and smiled. It was a forced smile, which annoyed him. Wasn't she supposed to be skilled at acting? "Can't wait to tell you."

"Come now, dears," said Rosie, grabbing her plate as well and shooting a knowing look at Winter and Cinder. "Let's give these two some privacy."

"It's fine, Mom," said Cress, taking the chair next to Thorne's.

He handed her a plate of food and a cup of coffee. He was happy to find it that she took it without complaint. No tea would be needed tomorrow.

"Nonsense, we've had him to ourselves all breakfast and you'll be apart this afternoon too."

"Actually, I think the guys are going hunting in about an hour," said Cinder. "The weather's supposed to get worse later in the day so they were talking about moving it up."

Rosie frowned and pulled out her cell phone. "Hmm. I'll have to talk to Sage about that, then. Come on girls, let Cress and Carswell eat."

"Okay," said Winter glumly, then suddenly brightened. "I'll go wake up Jacin so you can meet him before that, Carswell!"

"Excellent," said Thorne, nodding appreciatively at Winter. "Gotta talk to him before I go into the woods with Mr. Darnel."

Cinder laughed but Rosie shushed her. "He'll come around, dear," she said. "I've told him to be on his best behavior, so don't worry. What's important is that _I_ like you."

Thorne straightened proudly, though he knew the important message was that Dr. Darnel did not like him at all. "I'm flattered, Rosie."

She tapped his nose with her finger. "You are so adorable I can't stand it."

" _Mom_ ," said Cress.

Rosie tittered and walked away with Winter and Cinder in tow.

Thorne sat down in his stool and spread out his legs in total relaxation. He dug into his second helping of bacon and eggs and silently praised himself for pulling off an excellent morning with the mother, sister, and cousin. He still didn't know too much about Kai or Jacin, but he would surely get there when he went hunting with them.

"How did we meet?" asked Cress suspiciously, then added, "these eggs are good…thanks."

 _Two points for Thorne_. "The summary is that you were dancing to _Bye, Bye, Bye_ and I thought you were sexy and adorable."

Cress's fork froze in front of her mouth. Then she closed her eyes and let out a breath. "They bought it?"

"And then some. Didn't you hear your mom?"

She opened her eyes again. The look on her face when she met his gaze was the same one he'd seen on her for most of last night—discomfort, with maybe a little nausea thrown in there.

"Your hair looks nice," he offered.

She had straightened her blonde locks this morning, it seemed, because last night she'd had wavy hair. It took out some of the volume, but it wasn't a bad look on her. Like last night, she wore a lot of eye makeup, accenting the eyes that he had claimed to be a sucker for. They were naturally blue, and he didn't think she needed to wear as much as she did. Either she really liked eyeliner or she was trying to look more sophisticated than she felt.

He was betting on the latter.

"Thank you," she mumbled into her fork.

Deciding that now was not the time to add anything else, he erred on letting her eat her breakfast in peace and returned to his own plate. He could never eat enough bacon, and his seventh piece was calling out to him. He had just shoveled the entire thing in his mouth and was savoring the smoked-hickory flavor when he heard footsteps down the hallway.

Thorne cocked his head to see who was coming—and to test his uncanny ability at recalling names. But something brushed against his knee and he looked down to see Cress slinking her way into the space between his legs. He startled momentarily.

"Kiss me," she said, pulling on his shirt and practically yanking Thorne forward in his stool.

"Mmgh?" he replied, trying to swallow his food and process what was happening.

But Cress was already closing her eyes and coming at him, using her fingers on his shirt to lessen the space between their bodies. He shut his eyes out of instinct, out of habit, and pushed his hand into the nape of her neck and let her kiss him. She wasn't cold like a few minutes ago and she wasn't aggressive like the tigress he'd accidentally unleashed yesterday by taunting her. Her kiss was slow, deliberate, and clearly intent on being romantic.

Except he was still chewing and was pretty sure she now had a piece of his bacon and what was with Cress's sudden eagerness?

There was some throat clearing and Thorne jumped, fearing Cress had deliberately set him up to get caught by her dad again. But though the guy who now stood in the kitchen had a definite frown on his face at the sight of the two of them, he was much younger than Dr. Darnel and didn't seem to be related.

"Jacin!" said Cress, giggling in a way that was unfamiliar to Thorne. "Oops, sorry!" She turned around and leaned her back into Thorne's stomach. He automatically drew her into him. "This is my boyfriend, Carswell," said Cress excitedly, rubbing her hands over Thorne's knees.

Thorne finally got to swallow his food. "Hi."

"Hello," said Jacin. "I'm Jacin, Winter's fiancé."

"And my friend," added Cress.

Jacin finally smiled. "That's right, shortcake. Too cool to give me a hug these days?"

Jacin didn't catch the way Cress stiffened when he called her _shortcake_ , but Thorne, who was still holding on to her, certainly did.

And then it all clicked together.

The fact that he was getting paid to be her fake boyfriend just barely kept the smirk off his face as Cress practically ran into Jacin's arms.

"Good to see you, Cress. It's been too long."

"I know," she said. "Being with Carswell has just kept me so busy. I guess we're still in that stage where we can't stand to be apart from each other." She sighed somewhat dreamily so he gave her a saccharine lovey-dovey smile in return that should have won him an Academy Award.

Thorne polished off his plate as Jacin and Cress caught up, casually inserting himself in the conversation where appropriate. But his mind was elsewhere, musing over the new developments unfolding in front of his eyes.

 _Shortcake_ gushing about her relationship with Thorne. _Shortcake_ suddenly all smiles.

Turned out _shortcake_ had a huge crush.

On her sister's fiancé.


	6. Chapter 6

Cinder had been right about the oncoming snow. The weather app on Thorne's cell confirmed that they were in for several inches later that night, and even more on Christmas Day. It was a nice thought, a white Christmas. It was the type of thing that made everyone merrier, even Thorne. Minneapolis had thus far been devoid of any large accumulation throughout December. But with the few inches that had already fallen yesterday, there might even be enough snow on the ground this weekend for building snowmen and having snowball fights.

Chicks loved that sort of thing.

Who was he kidding? He loved it too. There was something extremely satisfying about balling up snow in your fist and nailing a friendly opponent with it while dodging hits of your own behind a cleverly crafted ice fort. He didn't have much of an excuse to do that sort of thing at his age anymore, despite his insistence that it was _clearly_ timeless.

Then there was the undeniable awesomeness of curling up on the couch against a fire with hot chocolate and those little marshmallows that he just couldn't get enough of. But this weekend had the potential for a more luxurious type of relaxation, because Cress had told him to pack some swim trunks. That could only mean one thing: there was a hot tub on the premises. And he had seen plenty of beer in the fridge this morning.

Stars, he loved his job.

"So what _are_ your intentions with Cress, then?" asked Ze'ev, making Thorne glance back up from his cell and refocus on the conversation. It had only taken Ze'ev five minutes of driving to get this topic. Thorne could tell he was eager to move beyond formalities. "Seems a bit suspicious to keep a relationship hidden."

"Listen," said Thorne. "It's only been six months and it was Cress's decision. She's driving our car, if you know what I mean." He saw Kai nod in agreement. "As for my intentions? I plan on staying with her until she's had enough of me. I hope that doesn't happen any time soon."

"I still can't believe you two kept your relationship a secret from _Sage_ ," said Kai, turning around to grin in wonder at Thorne. "You must have balls of steel."

"Not as much as Liam here," said Thorne. "He's meeting the entire extended family after dating a woman for only a few weeks?" He cast a wary glance at Liam, who was sitting next to him in the backseat of the car. "You're nuts."

"It's not like I had anywhere else to go for Christmas. I'm not flying all the way back to Ireland just to avoid a woman's family."

"You do realize that's a pretty big deal here in the USA, don't you?" said Thorne. "Meeting the family and all."

Liam just shrugged.

"How long have you been with Cinder?" Thorne asked Kai.

"Five and a half years now," he said, still grinning. "And Garan and Adri love me." He practically sang the words, clearly happy to boast about being everyone's favorite.

Ze'ev snorted. "He's totally whipped, that's why they love him. It was obvious from the first day Cinder started bringing him around."

"Totally whipped and proud of it. And it's going to happen to you suckers too," said Kai, pointing at Liam and Thorne. Thorne raised an eyebrow in mock concern. "The women in this family are a force to be reckoned with."

"Even Cress," Ze'ev confirmed.

"Even Cress," Kai echoed. "She seems super shy at first but she's got a will of her own when she's angry."

"Oh, I know," said Thorne.

Kai and Ze'ev laughed. Liam just shook his head and stared out the window. Thorne knew that for any boyfriend—even one who seemed as laid back as Liam—there was undoubtedly a lot of pressure to perform well when meeting the girl's parents for the first time. First impressions were everything. One wrong move and the boyfriend could be disliked forever.

Unless, of course, he were a fake boyfriend like Thorne, and knew how to ameliorate situations with tricky fathers.

The amelioration of the current situation with Sage hadn't quite happened yet, though. Sage had driven in the car with Jacin, Ran, and Garan. Thorne had hoped to be in that car, but Kai and Ze'ev had encouraged 'the new guys' to ride with them. He'd prepped himself for a laundry list of questions, but the guys were more laid back than he'd expected. So far, the car ride was akin to one he'd take with his real buddies.

And he was getting _paid_ to go hunting—without even needing to pay for a license because Cress's extended family owned an insane amount of acres about twenty minutes away. Whatever the day entailed, he could handle it. And then some.

"What was Cress like when she was little?" he asked Ze'ev.

"Really shy. She had an imaginary friend called Little Cress. She would always pretend to be on adventures with her. It was so cute."

Thorne chuckled and filed away that information for future ammunition.

"Oh!" said Kai, turning around again. "She had really long hair when I first met her and she was still in high school. I think she was trying to compete with Winter, wasn't she, Z?"

Ze'ev scrunched up his shoulders in thought. "I don't think it was a competition, necessarily, but more a desire to be like her older sister. Cress really looked up to her. When they were younger and Winter would get her hair done, Cress always wanted hers to be the same. But her hair obviously isn't textured like Winter's, so it usually didn't work out. Cress ended up growing her hair out as long as she could so that she'd be able to style it uniquely like her sister."

"Makes sense," said Liam, rejoining the conversation. "Iko has those awesome braids. I think it'd be hard to replicate on thin, blonde hair though."

Thorne was now picturing Cress with Rapunzel-like hair, walking around with her own version of a chameleon on her shoulder called _Little Cress_. It wasn't the most flattering of images, so he pushed it out of his mind. "I like it when Cress braids her hair. It's not as sexy as when it's down, but…"

"Just hang on a minute there, Casanova," said Ze'ev. "You're not allowed to go around calling Cress _sexy_ in front of us." Kai began to snicker next to him. "You may use adjectives such as beautiful, attractive, pretty, and way out of your league."

Thorne caught Liam rolling his eyes. He wanted to do the same thing, but instead he asked, "Jacin get that same talk?"

"Jacin was already friends with Cress, so we knew he was okay from the start," said Ze'ev.

Now _that_ was information Thorne could use. It was another detail Cress had left out of her bio. In fact, Cress had conveniently left out all information linking her to Jacin except for the fact that he was her sister's fiancé.

"And he's such a suck-up that he'd never say anything even borderline inappropriate for fear of getting on Sage's bad side. If you think _Cress_ is Daddy's princess, you've got it all wrong, man." Kai shuddered. "Why do you think Jacin is in that car? We've got five seats in here."

"What about Ran?" asked Liam.

Ze'ev and Kai exchanged a look. "Ran is in a class of his own, let's leave it at that."

"Noted. So is there anything I should know about Iko?"

Another look between the two of them. Then Kai began to laugh again. "Iko can definitely handle herself. I pity whoever gets on her bad side."

* * *

Thorne felt sleek with the 30-06 caliber rifle in his hands, though the orange from the vest was not the most flattering thing on him. But out here in the woods it didn't matter what he looked like and everyone else was wearing the dorky thing, so he didn't mind it much. He wished he'd bothered to bring a thicker pair of gloves, though. On second thought, it probably would have made him incapable of pulling the trigger.

He'd only been hunting a few times, but his dad had taken him to the shooting range when he was younger, so he'd definitely had enough practice with guns. He knew without a second thought that he was a better shot than Kai, who held his rifle as if he were worried it might backfire on him at any time.

Turned out the golden boy wasn't perfect after all.

To Thorne's dismay, Sage and Garan took off by themselves into the northern section of the woods, saying that their version of hunting was much more sophisticated than anything the younger generation could offer. Furthermore, the entire time that they had been getting everything ready, Cress's dad had not acknowledged him even once. Instead he'd spent the entire time laughing with Jacin, who, it seemed, had an ease with his future father-in-law that was to be envied.

Never mind. If he couldn't use this trip to bond with Cress's dad or at the very least do damage control, then he would use it to figure out what was going on with Cress and Jacin.

Well.

He already knew what was going on from Cress's side. Now he needed to know what was going on from Jacin's side. From the way that Cress had behaved, he doubted that Jacin reciprocated any feelings. It was also possible that he had dated Cress previously or just rejected her badly.

Either way, he would find out. And along the way, he could drop delicious details about his relationship with Cress. He dealt with jealousy often in this line of work. He was usually the prop used to _create_ jealousy.

It turned out that he didn't have to figure out how to approach Jacin casually, because Jacin was the one who sought him out after he'd already been settled for a while behind a boulder. It was a good thing, too, because he was freezing from the windchill and thoroughly bored at the lack of game that had showed up. He had been trying to think of excuses to talk to Jacin without coming off as that annoying guy who never shut up when Jacin squatted down next to him.

"Carswell, was it?"

Thorne wanted to laugh. Jacin definitely knew his name. "Carswell Thorne," he said. They shook hands, which hadn't been possible this morning with Cress draped all over him. Thorne sized him up, trying to figure out if longer hair was Cress's thing.

Jacin's grip was firm. "I heard from Winter after breakfast how the two of you met."

"I know, I know. I was kind of a moron."

"I was more surprised that Cress would act like that. She's always been very reserved. Does she really go dancing with you?"

"Just takes the right person to open her up," said Thorne, smiling as if he had just discovered the secret to Cress and all of her inner-workings.

And Jacin…

Jacin bought it.

"I'm glad she found someone who she can be herself around," he said, his frown easing up.

Thorne thought about her freaking out in the bathroom. "Didn't take too long."

"Huh. It took me awhile before Cress felt comfortable around me."

 _Probably because she actually_ likes _you._ "How did you two meet?"

Jacin dropped to his knees and propped his gun on the boulder. He peered through the scope, though Thorne was fairly certain there were no deer anywhere in the vicinity. He'd checked more than a dozen times while coming up with excuses in his head. "I'm in med school at UM. She was always at the library studying when I was. We got close."

"Ah."

There must have been something about the way he said _ah_ a little too knowingly, because Jacin looked up from his gun. He had a cross between a grimace and an apologetic smile on his face. "Oh, I didn't mean close like _that_. Cress and I are close even now but it's totally platonic, no worries. I actually first approached her because I noticed _Winter_ sitting with her one day. I thought they were friends at first, you know—not realizing she was adopted."

"Easy mistake to make," Thorne mused.

"I thought maybe if I got to know her friend, I'd get an in to getting to know Winter. Maybe even an introduction. So I started chatting up Cress and eventually discovered they were sisters."

Thorne nodded. "So Cress was in on it after that? That's kind of cool. Like a covert mission." He squinted through his own rifle and feigned disappointment when he still saw nothing but snow.

"Oh no, Cress had no idea. I was way too intimidated by Winter to say anything. I mean, you've seen her, right? She's so beautiful it _still_ takes my breath away. Kind of hard to go back to mediocre women after that."

"Hey, Cress is _not_ mediocre."

Jacin held up his hands, the rifle pointing somewhere over Thorne's left shoulder. He flinched away instinctively. "Oh, dude, that's not what I meant at all. I was just trying to explain why I was literally terrified to say anything to Cress about her sister. I mean you were incapable of talking to Cress at first because she was your type, right?"

"Right..." said Thorne slowly.

"It worked out really well, though. Cress was shy but really intelligent so we clicked well as study buddies, even if her degree was the farthest thing from medicine. We even started hanging out outside of the library sometimes, going out to lunch and stuff. Winter even joined us in the cafeteria from time to time. When I finally got up the courage to confess that I was totally in love with Winter, Cress was really supportive. Delighted, even."

"I can imagine," said Thorne, actually imagining how Cress would have felt once she found out Jacin was just using her to get to Winter. She had probably built up all these fantasies about the two of them, misinterpreting his interest in Winter for interest in her. It made him reflexively annoyed on behalf of his fake girlfriend.

"I know it's probably hard to think that Cress has another important guy in her life, but frankly I'm surprised she didn't introduce us sooner. We've stayed close since Winter and I started dating."

Did this guy actually think Thorne was jealous of _him_?

"Like Cress said, we've been a little absorbed in each other since we met."

Jacin frowned, but seemed to accept this as truth. "I guess that explains why she's been so busy since we got engaged."

A shot rang out in the distance, making the two of them look up. The movement made some feeling come back in his hand, which had started going numb from the cold. He still didn't see any deer or even any sign of life. It had started snowing too, which wasn't helping with visibility. So much for the fun time he'd been imagining. He was just stuck in the middle of nowhere with Cress's crush, spinning his usual lies about the girl he was pretending to date.

"I think she'll be around more after the holidays. Things have calmed down a bit now that we're over the whole infatuation stage." He really needed a buck—or hell, even a rabbit—to show up so that they could stop chit-chatting about stupid things and start shooting.

 _The infatuation stage_.

Ha. The things that came out of his mouth in this job.

He'd read about that one in a book that discussed different ways to express 'love languages.' It was one of many books he'd read for his work in an attempt to better understand the female mind. Complicated as it was, there were enough theories and detailed step-by-step instructions about it that any man, if he studied enough, could learn a helpful thing or two. He was sure that no man could ever fully understand them, but he'd picked up enough tips to be more sensitive about the subtle things that women were always concerned about.

Like their crush being engaged to another woman.

"I hope so," said Jacin. "Winter's missed her sister a lot."

"Can we go find the other guys? Their spots might have more luck."

Jacin's expression turned smug. "Impatient?

"I'd prefer not to wait here until my fingers fall off from frostbite."

Jacin's laugh rumbled in his throat, but the smugness didn't leave his face. "The wait is what it's all about, Carswell."

It certainly wasn't what it was all about, but he knew better than to waste his breath arguing the point. Gritting his teeth, Thorne accepted the challenge. And when he inevitably brought home the biggest kill this afternoon, he would show everyone just how much he could wait it out.

That is, if he still had all ten fingers and all ten toes by the time some game finally decided to show up. And then, if he were lucky, there might even be some time to warm up in the hot tub before dinner.

He was usually pretty lucky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: I took creative license with the hunting license. I don't hunt, but I know it's legal in some states if you own land. Let's just pretend Garan and Sage looked the other way. No animals were harmed in the writing of this fic.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit to regolithheart for providing the opening cat quote. I changed it a bit, but the base idea was hers.

"So there I was, going crazy with all that meowing," said Scarlet, shaking her head with annoyance. "I couldn't for the life of me figure out why all the stray cats in the neighborhood were always pawing at our back door, and then I found out that _Ze'ev_ had been leaving dishes of milk out for them at night!"

"Awww," squealed Cress in unison with the rest of the girls. She imagined finding cats all around her apartment in the morning and naming them all. Maybe even adopting a few for her own. It would be the perfect next step in achieving the status of crazy cat lady, which was the direction her life was taking now anyway.

"No!" said Scarlet. "It was not adorable. He'd been lying to me all along, pretending that he had no clue why our house had suddenly turned into a pseudo animal shelter."

"Still better than my story," said Cinder, laughing at Scarlet. "What about Jacin, Winter?"

"Jacin is kind of perfect," said Winter dreamily.

Cress leaned further back into her corner of the L-shaped couch and pinched her side underneath her sweatshirt. Scarlet threw a pillow from the other side of the couch at Winter, who was sitting below Cress at the end portion of the L. She had such good posture that she didn't even need something to rest her back against.

"Come on," said Scarlet. "He is not. Spill."

Winter thought for a moment. "Since Jacin is in his residency now, he thinks he knows _everything_ about my body."

Iko giggled.

Winter grimaced at her. "No, in an annoying way. Like when I have my period, he tries to tell me _exactly_ what I should eat so I don't get bloated, how long to use hot packs, which brand of tampons are the best for my body, etc. It drive me _crazy_."

Scarlet snickered wickedly and chucked another pillow at her. Winter blocked it just in time. "Perfect, huh?"

Cress smiled to herself.

"Oh my _stars_ ," said Cinder, sitting up straight in the couch. "At least he's educated about different brands. The first time I sent Kai on a tampon run was a total disaster. He panicked and came back with like, fifteen different boxes. I had tampons for a year!"

Everyone groaned in unison. Cress imagined Kai blushing furiously at the checkout line, determined to get back to Cinder as soon as possible.

"Now he plans ahead and even uses coupons for the brands I like."

Iko wrinkled her nose, though. "Ew, you send him to do that?"

Cinder shrugged. "Of course."

Winter and Scarlet nodded too.

"That is never going to happen with Liam and me. We're going to keep things sexy. We're not going to talk about…blood. Ick."

Everyone except Cress exchanged a look. "Good luck."

Iko turned to Cress for help. "Does Carswell get you tampons?"

Cress turned bright red at the thought. Thorne, like Jacin, probably knew everything there was to know about feminine products and that time of month. He probably even offered that sort of thing as part of his service. "Not yet," she said, trying to contain her embarrassment.

"See?" said Iko, crossing her arms. "All you old, boring couples are ruining it for the rest of us."

Scarlet looked as if she wanted to chuck a pillow at Iko too, but had already launched them all at Winter and came up short. Instead, she turned to Cress. "So, what annoying things does Carswell do? You're six months in, so unlike Iko, you've got to have picked up on his bad habits by now."

Cress had been trying to think of a funny story in her head, but had come up short. She wished that she had Thorne's quick wit and ability to twist any situation to his favor. "Um…he leaves the seat up?"

"Once you move in together he'll come around," said Cinder knowingly.

"It's better if you start telling him it bothers you before that," added Scarlet. "Guys are like dogs when you first move in together. You have to teach them how to behave and then reward them when they make the right choices. It's exhausting."

"Maybe if you had a dog then you wouldn't have to worry about cats," said Iko, sticking out her tongue.

"Do you think you'd move in with him, Cress?" asked Winter, her eyes wide. Cress knew she was still having trouble coming to terms with the fact that she hadn't known about her sister's new boyfriend.

Cress let out a shrill laugh. "And risk Dad murdering him?"

"Forget Dad."

Cress tried to think of what the right answer was, but supposed that there really wasn't a right answer. Every couple moved at their own pace. She decided to stick with the one that she and Thorne had decided on in the car. "Not for a long time. We're taking things slow, so..."

"I'll bet you're making him wait," said Iko, smirking. "And he's clearly struggling with that."

"What makes you say that? You've hardly met him."

"I've seen enough from just last night. He looks like he wants to get in your pants."

"He does not!" Cress turned red again. Maybe she needed to tell Thorne to back off on how much he pretended to admire her.

"He definitely seems like he's got it bad," said Cinder. "And the way he talks about you being the perfect combination of sexy and adorable…" She whistled.

Perfect combination of sexy and adorable? _Her?_ How could they possibly buy that? "He said that?" She smiled dreamily for effect, knowing that was what the girls wanted to see.

"He's very smitten with you," said Winter, grabbing her hand. "Mom can see it too. But don't let him pressure you, if you're not ready."

With the way girl talk was going, Cress was never going to return to her normal skin shade. "Uh, don't worry. Carswell would never do anything like that if I wasn't ready."

"Good," said Scarlet. "Let me know if he's ever not a perfect gentleman."

"Guys," Cress whined. "Just because this is my first real relationship doesn't mean you have to treat me like I'm in middle school. I'm twenty-two. I know what I'm doing."

Except, she had no clue at all what she was doing, especially with Thorne. What would she say to them after this weekend when she could no longer afford to pay him to be her boyfriend? She would have to make up some story about all the bad things he did that made her dump him. Or maybe…maybe she could return all of her Christmas presents this year and beg Thorne to let her use that cash as a deposit towards New Year's Eve. If he came to a party with her, at least then she could prolong the inevitable even longer. Maybe he could even help her come up with a plausible excuse for why they'd broken up.

Winter squeezed her hand. "Of course you do, Cress. We're just giving you a hard time. I'm glad he treats you well."

"He treats me like a princess," she said, quoting Thorne and getting up off the couch. "I'm hungry. Anyone else want to have lunch before the guys get back and we have to listen to all their hunting stories?" She rolled her eyes dramatically. "Can't wait to hear about Kai and his moose."

"Do not even encourage him!" said Cinder, getting off the couch too. "He is the worst hunter in the history of this family." She paused. "Well, soon to be family…I hope!"

Cress sank back into the couch as any plans for lunch were interrupted by a series of squealing and questions surrounding estimates for when Kai would finally, _finally_ propose.

* * *

When the men came back, the pride and testosterone rolled off of them in waves. They showed off their kills as though they were pirates returning from a shipwreck with chests of treasure. Or perhaps, thought Cress, like ancient tribesmen bringing food back to their starving wives.

It was clear they wanted praise and love.

Acting impressed like the rest of the women, she _oohed_ and _aahed_ at everything they'd shot, especially when Thorne proudly announced that he'd killed the biggest buck. She didn't tell him that the thought of anyone murdering nature's wondrous animals had always made her feel kind of sick inside. The only time she actually had to see dead animals was when she came to the cabin, though, so it didn't affect her as much the rest of the year. Whenever she came up here, she always had the urge to become a vegetarian.

Still, Thorne was clearly trying to impress not only her but also the other guys, so she smiled coyly and gave him a kiss on his cheek, which was flushed from being in the cold for so long. He actually looked really adorable in his hunting clothes, because even though he'd taken off his vest, it was clear that he didn't normally wear this type of outfit. The way he smiled at her when she kissed him made him look pretty sexy too.

Maybe Thorne knew _he_ was actually the definition of sexy and adorable, and he'd decided to use his own description on her when he'd run out of lines. Still, she was glad to stand next to him, especially when next to him stood Jacin and Winter.

"Finally," said Aunt Sybil, her hands on her hips. "Dinner doesn't cook itself, you know."

Her mother laughed dryly next to her. "As if you would know, Sybil."

Aunt Sybil glared at her, but her mother looked extremely proud of herself. Cress knew that Sybil was not her favorite sibling by any means. Actually, Sybil wasn't anyone's favorite sibling. But Sybil knew that all too well.

"Some of us are hungry," was all Aunt Sybil replied, placing her arm around Aunt Levana.

"Sybil," said Cress's dad, emerging from the group, "we're not actually eating what we killed today. You do realize that if you want tender meat you need to let it age a bit? This was just a bonding activity for all the new men in our family this year. Rosemary's idea."

He smiled sweetly as Cress's mother beamed at him. She placed a kiss on his cheek in approval. Cress glanced at Thorne for confirmation, but he made a slashing gesture across his throat behind her dad. Her eyes narrowed. Her dad was lying about getting to know Thorne just to get on her mom's good side!

Thorne nodded his head towards the hallway and Cress slipped out of the group to follow him.

When they reached the hallway, he enveloped her in a hug. Cress wanted to push away, but his hug strangely felt like a real, genuine hug, and for some reason, she needed it. She wiggled out of his arms after a minute. "You're freezing."

"I know," he said, rubbing his hands together quickly. "I think I have frostbite in my entire body. Does my nose look like it's still attached to my face?" He turned sideways for her to inspect him.

"So I'm guessing it didn't go well with my dad," she said dejectedly.

He shook his head. "He didn't speak to me once."

"Didn't you say that you're supposed to be good at this? That I'm not supposed to panic because you're such a master?"

"I don't think _master_ was the precise terminology I used, but I like it. If this works out, can I quote you on that for my website?"

" _If_ this works out?!"

Thorne sighed. "Look, it's only the second day. I made headway today with your cousin and the other boyfriends. Your mom loves me. I'm pretty sure Winter and Cinder like me. That's impressive for not even having been here for twenty-four hours so far, don't you think? We still have tonight and all of tomorrow to win your dad over. I'm thinking he's a bit like my body right now…totally iced over and in need of melting."

Cress scrunched up her nose at the strange picture formulating in her mind.

"Speaking of, can we go in the hot tub? I've been waiting for someone to suggest it since it started snowing." He checked his watch. "Which was several hours ago."

"You want to go in the hot tub? _Now_?"

"Would it help if I told you that hot tubs could be a great excuse for PDA?"

She groaned and remembered what the girls had told her. "Maybe we should lay off the PDA. The girls think I'm torturing you."

He raised an eyebrow. "In what way?"

She blushed. "You know…by making you wait."

Thorne slapped his knee. "That's great. You should definitely torture me. I'll try to look extra pained today when I see you in the hot tub."

Cress's face fell.

His laughing faded. "What? What did I say?"

"Nothing."

Thorne crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm a lot more perceptive than you give me credit for. And despite what you might be thinking, the last thing I want to do is make you feel bad."

"Do you think going in the hot tub is a smart move?" said Cress, deflecting his comment on purpose.  
"Would you do that with your other…clients?"

"If she wanted to. Do you want to?"

"Not really."

Thorne sank to his knees. He placed his hands into a prayer position and made a puppy dog face up at her. "I would normally never ask a client to do something she didn't want to but…I'm desperate here. I just spent several hours in the wilderness turning into an icicle. Would you go in the hot tub and relax with me if I took twenty-five bucks off your total?"

Cress put her hands on her hips. "Make it fifty."

"Done."

She reached out her hand to shake on it, but he used it to pull himself off the ground instead. Now grinning broadly, he put his arm around Cress's shoulders and steered her back into the living room. "Cress and I are hitting the hot tub for a bit! Anyone want to join?"

A few people thought it was a fantastic idea and soon Cress was being pulled upstairs enthusiastically by Thorne so they could change.

Cress rummaged through the wardrobe. She had actually brought three different bathing suits for this purpose, but had hoped that she wouldn't need to use them over the weekend. She could really use those fifty bucks though. Maybe she could figure out what other things Thorne was desperate about and slowly get more of her money back throughout the weekend.

She laid her bathing suits out on the bed and studied them. Each one had pros and cons. There was a bikini, a tankini, and a one-piece.

She didn't particularly like any of them, despite the hours she'd spent at the mall the weekend before. It was hard to find swimwear in the middle of winter.

"You all set?" asked Thorne, coming out of the bathroom. Cress stared at him the same way she had yesterday when she'd seen him without his shirt on. His black and white striped swim trunks hugged his hip bones, showing off the curves of his muscles in just the right spots. She forced herself to stop staring and returned her gaze to the bed, her throat drying up at the thought of standing next to someone like him in her own suit.

"Having trouble deciding?"

She bit her lip and nodded.

Thorne grabbed the bikini and tossed it to her. "That's the one you want."

Cress stared at the skimpy material in her hands. "Why the bikini?"

He grabbed the other two bathing suits and folded them up for her. Walking to the wardrobe to put them away, he said, "You want to show off your chest, don't you? That one's got a better dip. If you're in a hot tub then Jacin will only be able to notice the top."

Cress gasped, which made Thorne turn around. She cleared her throat and bunched up the material in her hands. "Not really sure…what you mean. That's…um…"

"Finally the truth?"

The fact that Thorne didn't appear to be making fun of her at all made her even more unsure of herself. She teetered unsteadily and was happy to find the bed behind her for support.

"How'd you know?" she asked quietly.

Thorne came to sit next to her. "You mean, beside the way you threw yourself at me this morning when he showed up?"

She closed her eyes.

"He told me how you met while we were hunting today. That guy's a douche, Cress."

Her eyes flew open. "He is not!"

He snorted. "And yet you defend him."

She didn't say anything.

"Now that we're past all your fake reasons for hiring me, let's talk about the real one. What's your goal, Cress? Do you want to break up the engagement?"

"No!"

"Then what? Just want to make him jealous?"

Cress turned the bikini over in her hands, seeing how the pale blue looked against her skin. It would probably wash her out, in the end. "I feel so pathetic that I ever thought he would like me." She threw the bikini on the ground. "Why _would_ he, when Winter is everything she is? Why would _anyone_ ever like me when they could be with Winter instead?"

Thorne put his hand on her knee and squeezed lightly. "Beauty isn't everything, Cress."

Cress ripped his hand off her. "Do you think you would have your job if you weren't beautiful?"

Thorne shook his head and stooped to pick up her bikini. "I think you're underestimating yourself because of one guy. Someday you're going to meet someone who is going to look at Winter and wonder how anyone could ever choose _her_ when they have you instead."

She laughed bitterly. "Yeah, right."

"I'm serious." He ran a hand through his hair. She sort of liked the way his arm flexed with the movement.

"I really didn't want to be alone up here after they got engaged. I thought maybe if I could convince everyone else that I was happy, then maybe I could convince myself. I don't _want_ to like him anymore."

For the second time in just twenty-four hours, hot tears ran down her cheeks. He didn't move to wipe them away. He just let her cry.

When she had composed herself, he said, "I think that's very big of you, Cress."

She sniffed. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that I've pulled a lot of jobs where the goal is to make someone so jealous that they'll break it off with their significant other."

"That doesn't sound ethical."

He shrugged. "Is anything about what I do really ethical?"

"No," she whispered.

Thorne held up the bikini top, dancing it around in front of her. "I still think you should wear this."

She didn't want to tell him, but there wasn't really any reason not to. He knew everything about her already.

Besides, she didn't have to impress him. He would act the same whether she was tall, short, skinny, fat, ugly, or beautiful. "I don't look good in a bikini."

"Sure you do."

"Thorne, that's nice of you to say but…I know what I look like, okay?"

"Not okay. You think you look _bad_."

"I do."

"But you don't. I told you that you were gorgeous when we met."

"You have to tell everyone that."

"Cress?"

"Yeah?"

"Stop."

She sniffed again.

"I think you're looking at this the wrong way. You've told yourself that in order for you to be happy, other people have to think you're happy first. How about just for this weekend we reverse that and you be happy just because you deserve to be? I think you need to give yourself a little credit."

"But Winter—"

Thorne groaned. "Winter has fake boobs, we talked about this already!"

Cress couldn't help it, she let out a giggle.

"And Jacin has a _ponytail_. Cress, please…don't tell me those are your only standards of beauty."

She giggled again. "I always hated that ponytail."

Encouraged, Thorne struck a pose, slinging the bikini over his shoulder. "Now why would you want to be thinking about someone like him this weekend, when you've got all of this right in front of you?" As if to prove his point, he began strutting up and down the room in front of her in his best impression of a runway model.

"I do think you're more handsome than Jacin," she admitted shyly.

"A- _ha_!" said Thorne, pointing his finger at her and making her jump. "So…you admit that you find me more attractive, but you obviously have feelings for Jacin and not me. You see the perfect analogy you've created? I'm Winter in this situation and Jacin is Cress, but you still picked Cress over Winter."

He waggled his eyebrows slyly as Cress tried to sort out the analogy, which was not actually that perfect at all. Realizing it at the same time that Cress did, he sat down on the bed again. "The point is, don't let one guy who chose Winter ruin men for you forever."

She nodded. "I'm trying."

"And I can see that. So how about this as a proposition? You've got me until Monday morning. How about you take advantage of the fact that, besides being the perfect fake boyfriend, I'm also a fun guy? Maybe you'll find yourself actually having fun too."

It sounded nice. But she didn't know how to take advantage of the fact that he was a fun guy. She hadn't had much fun at all recently. She'd been too consumed with worry in trying to figure out how to get over Jacin. This latest stunt wasn't working as well as she had hoped either. She had been incredibly jealous when she'd seen Jacin and Winter together this morning.

"I just want to convince everyone—especially Jacin—that my love life is awesome, okay?"

"Okay. Got it. So, which bathing suit are you choosing?"

"You're not going to make me wear the bikini?"

"You can wear whatever you want, beautiful. It's your weekend, remember?"

She gulped. "Can I show you all three of them?"

Thorne slid back onto the bed, propping himself up as if preparing himself to watch her walk down an imaginary runway as well. He grinned sexily, making her heart beat faster at the thought of him seeing her in a scantily-clad outfit. But he was going to be a better judge of what she should wear than she would be. If she decided, they'd be here all night. And she did want those fifty bucks…

She hurried into the bathroom and put on the bikini first, hoping to get the worst out of the way. She emerged with a towel around herself. He gestured at his own body. "No fair, I'm not wearing a towel." He paused. "I wish I were, though. I'm still freezing."

"So get under the bed covers," she grumbled.

"Oh. Right."

Cress moved to take off her towel but then cringed. "There's something you should know first."

"Shoot."

"I, um…have a really big scar. On my stomach. I had my appendix taken out a few years ago. It sort of makes it look like I have a little pouch. And I'm really small. In general. I don't really have curves and my chest is totally flat and…"

" _Cress_. I'm supposed to be your boyfriend, remember? If I'm your boyfriend, then it doesn't matter to me whether you have a scar or a small chest or even eleven toes! I told your family this morning that I thought you were attractive. And I'm going to make damn sure that everyone out there knows just how attractive I find you in a bathing suit too. So take off your towel, strut your stuff, and I'll let you know which one flatters you the most."

"O-Okay," she said.

She slowly let the towel fall to the floor.

Thorne sat up.

Unable to muster up the same confidence that he'd had earlier to walk around the room, she wrung her hands and clicked her heels together as he studied her.

"Um, what do you think?" she said after a minute. "Should I turn?"

Thorne looked startled by her voice. Clearing his throat, he said, "No…uh, this view is fine. I mean, _you_ look fine. Like this. _Great_ , in fact. I don't think we need to see the other choices."

"But—"

Thorne got up off the bed and marched her into the bathroom and in front of the mirror. She stared at her reflection, trying to imagine what he might be thinking. His hands slid onto her bare waist—the one that, in her opinion, barely had any shape at all.

"I was right," he said softly in her ear. "The perfect combination of sexy and adorable."


	8. Chapter 8

With her towel covering her body and Thorne's protective hand on her back, the walk down to the hot tub room was slightly less intimidating. Thorne hadn't bothered to put on a towel, choosing to sling it over his shoulder instead. Cress tried to absorb a fraction of the confidence that rebounded off of him with every step he took.

They were able to avoid the living area all together, taking the corridor that continued on to the garage where Aunt Sybil and Levana stored their boat for the winter. A few of her family members still saw them walking together, but she managed to keep her blushing to a minimum, especially since Jacin was nowhere in sight.

Which meant he was probably getting ready to go in the hot tub too. She hoped that he wouldn't actually get down there in time, as it definitely wasn't big enough for her every sibling, cousin, and partner in her extended family. Maybe it would already be too crowded by the time he showed up with Winter.

"Nice," said Thorne, sliding open the glass door that separated the hot tub room from the rest of the cabin.

He slid it closed behind him as Cress stripped off her towel and jumped into the hot tub with a splash. The water scalded her, but she didn't care.

"The room's even heated. I love your family right now."

"Turn on the jets," she said, eager to get some foam going that would cover up more of her body. Even if Thorne kept telling her how cute she looked in a bikini, it would take more than a few compliments to debunk years of feeling inadequate.

Still, he was right about the way the bikini molded kind of perfectly against her chest. The built-in shelf component _did_ flatter what nature did not. Looking down at her chest reminded her that she probably should stop encouraging a male to stare freely at her chest and comment on it as if she were a science project.

Thorne was not even looking at Cress at the moment, however, lingering instead by the control panel for the hot tub and gazing out onto the lake behind the glass walls.

She was used to the view by now, but when she was little it had always mesmerized her, especially on days like today when the snow was coming down fast, dusting the landscape like powdered sugar.

"Do you go to a lake in the summer?"

"We're in Minnesota," he said, his eyes shining with amusement. "Kinda hard not to go to a lake, no matter where you are."

He flicked the switch for the jets and when he was satisfied that they were at the perfect speed for both of them, he sauntered over to the hot tub and dangled his feet into the water. It didn't take long before he was immersed like her. His eyes closed in pure ecstasy.

"Ahhh," he said, sighing contentedly.

Cress had to laugh at the sight of him. "You really weren't kidding about wanting to go in the hot tub."

Spreading his arms out over the rim, he grinned. "And I love you for letting me."

He was a little _too_ happy about being in the hot tub, Cress thought, and it wasn't fair that someone should be enjoying himself that much while working. Jobs were meant to be a hassle, after all—the common annoyance that everyone could whine about.

With that in mind, she splashed him.

Cress giggled while Thorne sat up, spluttering. When he had wiped the water off his face to the best of his ability, his eyes turned suspiciously to Cress, eyeing her like she was a little devil in disguise. "You think you're funny, do you?"

Cress splashed him again, unable to keep from laughing at his shocked expression.

" _Why you little_ …!"

Thorne lunged at her, making her shriek in surprise. She made a foolish attempt to slide to another spot in the hot tub, but the hot tub was small and there was nowhere to run to and he was moving forward while she was sliding backward.

He had her pinned against the wall of the hot tub almost instantly. His knees bumped hers underneath the water while his arms splayed out on both sides of her to keep her from escaping. The look on his face told her he was up to absolutely no good.

"My hair!" she gasped urgently, pushing against his chest. "Don't get my hair wet!"

Her attempts to push him away did nothing but intensify the growing smirk on his face. He lifted one of his knees onto the seat and lowered his face until he was mere inches away from her. One of his hands slid dangerously into the water and she braced herself for the inevitable splash that was coming her way, pulling her face back with a cringe.

The splash didn't come.

Moving his lips closer to her ear, he said in a low, barely audible voice, "The only reason you're not soaking wet right now is because I want you to look your best for the others. But, if we were alone…really, _truly_ alone…"

She swallowed, trying to glance at him out of the corner of her eye, but he was so close to her that she could only make out the muscles in his shoulders.

"You would be in _so_ much trouble," he breathed.

"Oh y-yeah?" she said, trying to sound tough and failing miserably. He smelled _really_ good in this proximity and it was throwing off her concentration...was he wearing cologne? She hadn't seen him with any cologne. "You're probably one of those guys who just offers up empty threats."

The laugh that escaped him was hot against her neck, but maybe that was the steam from the hot tub, in all actuality. She didn't have time to think about it because he kissed her cheek and pulled away from her, now grinning like she was the cutest little animal he'd ever seen.

"No matter," he said, easing his leg off the seat and sitting down next to her. "I look better with my hair wet anyway."

Cress didn't say anything.

"You're blushing again, sweetheart. Not to worry, though, it's perfectly natural around a sexy beast like myself."

Her shoulders began to shake again in an attempt to keep the laughter down. " _A sexy beast_? Where do you even come up with this stuff?"

"Look up sexy beast in the dictionary. You'll find a picture of me."

"There aren't any pictures in dictionaries."

"But imagine if there _were_ …" He nudged her shoulder. "Eh? Eh?"

She laughed again, which made him reach under the water and tickle her waist _,_ which made her screech and splash up water until his hair was dripping.

Wiping his face again, he said, "You are just _begging_ to get in trouble."

Cress decided to push her luck. After all, she _was_ paying him and he _had_ confessed that he wouldn't do anything to mess up her hair, so what harm could it do? She reached for his abs and tickled as much as she possibly could.

Thorne let out a high-pitched yell and flailed his arms around in an attempt to block her, but she was prepared for the fight this time and quick with her hands. She pushed herself off the seat to get more purchase with her feet and attacked. He managed to grab one wrist but failed with the other.

"I take back what I said about loving you!" Thorne yelled, backing himself into a corner. He gave up on trying to grab her other wrist and started using his free hand to try to tickle her as well. "You're a cruel— _ahaha_!—vicious woman who— _oh no you don't_ —doesn't deserve my…love!"

Just when she thought victory was hers he managed to grab her around the waist and pull her towards him, holding one of her arms up in the air and sandwiching the other between their bodies.

"That's not a very nice thing to say."

Cress and Thorne startled and, both panting, looked up to see who had joined them. They had not even heard the glass door slide open amidst their water war. Cress's heart sank when she saw that it was her dad, standing in his bathing suit.

His very dad-like and totally embarrassing bathing suit.

Thorne let go of Cress's arm but not her waist. "Cress knows I was just kidding," he said, kissing her on the top of her head.

Her hair was still _mostly_ dry.

"We were just playing around, Dad," she confirmed. She slid back onto the ledge of the seat and pulled Thorne down next to her by the hand.

Her dad stood awkwardly on the rim of the hot tub. "I can see that."

"Where's everyone else?" she asked.

"I told them to wait until we were finished," he said.

"Oh…"

"Please, join us," said Thorne, gesturing to the water in the hot tub.

Instead of getting in the water, he moved to the control panel. He fiddled with the switches until he found the one with the jets. To her dismay, he flicked its power off completely. Cress watched the white foam slowly dissipate into the water, revealing her skimpy bathing suit and Thorne's abs.

Her dad's attention shifted to the way they were holding hands beneath the water. She hadn't even realized that she was still holding onto to him after pulling him next to her. Deciding that it would make her look weak if she let go now, she gripped Thorne's hand more firmly.

Her father strolled back to the hot tub and started getting into the hot tub.

Right in between them.

They had no choice but to separate or be squished.

Oh, the choice words she would have had for her dad in this exact moment if Thorne were her _real_ boyfriend…

"So," said her dad, shimmying in the seat until he had settled comfortably in the middle of them. Thorne scooted over several more inches, probably uncomfortable at the close proximity of her dad. "Are you enjoying your time at the cabin so far, Carswell?"

Thorne straightened. "Very much, sir. It's a beautiful property."

"You don't have to call him sir," said Cress defiantly, still irked at her dad. She could not believe that he had the audacity to completely ignore Thorne since his arrival and then choose this exact moment to suddenly become friendly.

 _It's a trap,_ she wanted to scream at Thorne. _A trap!_

"It's polite, Cress," said Thorne quietly.

"Indeed it is," said her dad, giving Cress a disapproving look.

"You don't make Jacin call you sir."

"Jacin is a part of this family. When Carswell becomes part of this family, he can stop calling me sir as well."

The way her dad said it like a challenge made her believe that her father had absolutely no intention of ever allowing Thorne to be part of his family. Why did he have to be so stubborn? She wanted to impress her dad and make him believe that the guy she was pretend in love with was good enough for his standards, but she also didn't want him to believe that he had control over her relationships.

She was an independent woman and would choose who she wanted to date. And she had picked Thorne out of an _ad_. His job was to be the perfect boyfriend. There was no way he couldn't meet _any_ dad's standards!

"You don't have to call him that, Carswell," she insisted. "He's just trying to be intimidating."

Before her dad could respond again, Thorne cut in. "I'd like to apologize again for how we met yesterday."

Her dad raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not apologizing for kissing your daughter, sir," Thorne clarified. "She's beautiful and I love her and _yes_ , we do kiss. But I'd never want to do anything that would make you or anyone else in her family believe that I don't respect her. I'm sorry if I gave off that impression."

Cress gave him a hidden thumbs up as her dad's eyes bored into Thorne's. After a long moment, he said, "I've already forgotten about it."

_Liar!_

Thorne relaxed against the wall. "Thank you, sir."

_He hasn't forgotten about it at all, you idiot!_

"So, it's probably time I get to know my daughter's boyfriend," said her dad, smiling falsely at the two of them.

Only Thorne, stupid as he was, smiled back and fell right into the trap her dad was setting.

Where was her mom with all of her eggnog glory when she needed her?

"I heard you met Cress while she was dancing on a table."

Cress squeaked. _Dancing_ on a table _? Way to leave out that incredibly important detail, Mister Captain!_

Thorne, however, was not at all fazed by her dad's statement, which was really a question and obviously another challenge. He tilted his head to gaze at Cress with a smile that made it seem like she was the only person in the world that mattered.

It, once again, reminded her that he was worth every penny.

"Indeed," he said.

"Rosemary tells me you were quite taken by her from the beginning, as you should be."

"Of course. You've raised an incredible woman."

Her dad harrumphed.

"He was kind of a dork when I met him," said Cress, calling up a purposeful giggle. "He still is."

Thorne stuck out his tongue at her. "I was only dorky because you made me nervous."

They both beamed at each other and Cress almost rolled her eyes, but prided herself for staying in character.

Her dad was quick to interrupt them. "What is it that you do for work, Carswell?"

"I'm a research assistant working on my PhD in aerospace engineering. I've got at least another two years left."

Her dad actually looked impressed. "Which university?"

"UM."

 _No!_ Cress wanted to cry.

"Did you know that Jacin still studies at the University of Minnesota? Perhaps you've crossed paths before and not known it."

"Yes, he told me that while we were hunting. But he's at the Minneapolis campus. I'm at the Rochester campus."

_Good save._

"Do you live in Rochester?"

"No, I live in St. Paul and commute," he lied smoothly. "The drive sucks, but I only have to go out there three times a week so it's worth it."

"Hmm."

"You always said you wanted me to date a doctor," said Cress, elbowing her dad.

He had, of course, meant a medical doctor, like Jacin, but at least someone with a PhD earned the title as well. She was relieved that Thorne wasn't a real military captain after all nor pretended to be one. This field of study suited her purposes much better. Her dad probably knew absolutely nothing about aerospace engineering.

Ignoring her, her dad asked, "So what kind of name is Carswell anyway?"

"Dad!"

"Forgive me," he said, pushing his glasses up the brim of his nose. "I meant to ask, what origin? It's not a common name, Cress."

"It's British," said Thorne.

"Family name?"

This made Thorne laugh. "Oh no, not at all. My mom's side of the family is from Puerto Rico. My dad's side of the family is a mishmash of European immigrants from the 1800's."

"Do you speak Spanish then?"

"Si señor," said Thorne brightly, then shook his head. "Not really. I can understand it. My mother moved to Minnesota when she was in college and met my dad, who spoke absolutely no Spanish. He learned a bit for her but she was fluent in English so that became the language they conversed in. My mom yells at me in Spanish when she's mad, though."

His story was so convincing that even Cress almost believed him. He had a strange wistful look in his eyes when he talked about his fake mom, as if he missed her. Was any of it real?

Feeling like that was a good note to end on, Cress pushed herself up. "Well, this has been fun but I'm completely pruney." She held out her hands for them to inspect in case they didn't believe her. Though the room was heated, she shivered when she got out of the hot tub and grabbed her discarded towel quickly.

Thorne moved to get out as well but her father put a hand on his shoulder. "How about we have a chat while Cress gets ready for dinner? You can always sit on the ledge if the water bothers you." His voice made it crystal clear that it was a command, not a question.

Thorne slowly sank back into the water. "Sounds great, sir."

"Excellent," said her dad.

Cress gulped and hurried out of the room, not thinking it was excellent at all.


	9. Chapter 9

Whereas Thorne had been excited about the hot tub, Cress was much more interested in the bathroom attached to their room. Recently renovated, its luxury rivaled five-star hotels and made what she had in her small, downtown Minneapolis apartment look nothing short of dumpy.

With the stress of the oncoming day upon her this morning, she hadn't had any time to really appreciate the beauty of it. The floor was lain with large limestone tiles that turned up the walls and stacked to the ceiling. A long vessel sink with wall-mounted faucets sat on top of a wooden vanity counter. Two thick, cantilevering shelves of walnut made up the immense counter and left room in between for freshly rolled towels and baskets that were meant for toiletries.

Thorne's navy toiletry bag sat in one of the baskets, practically waiting to be discovered and told it didn't belong there. But strangely enough, Thorne himself seemed to belong in this house much more than she did, so far managing to fit in with whomever he wanted, however he wanted.

The thought made a knot form in her stomach. She wished she could eavesdrop on what Thorne was discussing with her father, but since that was not a possibility, she would take the world's most luxurious shower instead. It was either that or fretting around until he got back and then still needing to shower anyway before braving Christmas Eve dinner.

She grabbed a towel from the shelves and stared at her reflection in the large, back-lit mirror that spanned the back wall. Its glowing light made it look like it was floating in mid-air. She studied herself and how insignificant and plain she looked in comparison, standing there in her bikini. Did Thorne really think she looked attractive like this, or was he just playing his part a little too well?

Shaking her head, she stripped and walked over to the shower, passing a large soaking tub that had floating flowers and reminded her of a pond rather than a bathing receptacle. Why her aunts needed that in a guest room was beyond her. The shower stall, on the other hand, was big enough to feel like its own room and was separated only by a large pane of glass.

Suddenly paranoid, she ran back to the door to make sure it was locked. Had she even bothered to lock it this morning? Thorne had already been gone when she'd woken up and she'd been too stressed about seeing Jacin to do anything properly.

After reassuring herself that she had sufficient privacy, she mistakenly turned on the handheld shower head along with several body sprays set into the wall at varying heights. Shrieking when the cold water hit her from all directions, she messed with the dials until she figured out how to adjust the spigot of the regular shower head with the correct temperature and pressure and began to massage her hair. Sadly, it had been splashed enough in the water to merit a wash after all, upon closer inspection.

Cress had to look absolutely perfect today and having a ball of frizz atop her scalp would simply not do. Letting the steam rise around her, she closed her eyes and began to hum. Yes, this was much better than a hot tub filled with chemicals and a fake boyfriend trying to impress her dad. She scrubbed all the chemicals off her with some lavender-scented foamy soap that was already in the shower and hummed louder.

By the time she finished washing her hair and stepped out of the shower, she was in a much better mood. She turned on her iPhone and found the song that was stuck in her head. Singing along to the melody, she wrapped herself in a towel, danced around the pond-tub-thing for good measure, and shimmied out of the bathroom.

She screamed when she nearly smacked into Thorne. He jumped back too, startled either by her presence or her reaction to _his_ presence.

"Thorne!" she hissed. Heart still racing, she pulled her towel on tighter, making sure it was snug around her chest and that there were no gaps in inappropriate places. "What are you doing!"

He relaxed, holding the towel he had draped over his shoulders with his hands like a shawl. "Standing here?"

"Outside the bathroom door?" She inched back towards the bathroom, trying to walk without turning around. She wasn't sure how much the towel covered in the back.

Thorne looked down at his bare chest and swim trunks. "Did you want me to lay in bed with a wet bathing suit?"

"N-no," she stammered. "But you could have warned me that you were here."

A sly grin grew on his face. "You probably wouldn't have heard me over your singing."

"How long were you there?!"

"Maybe five minutes." He frowned. "You don't have to be embarrassed. You've got a great voice."

"I'm only wearing a towel!"

His frown changed to a grin and his eyes left her face, taking in her form as though the thought hadn't even occurred to him.

Pulling her towel even tighter, she glared at him. "Don't look at me!"

"I'm not checking you _out_ or anything, if that's what you're thinking." Pivoting with a harrumph, he faced the opposite wall, crossing his arms as he did so.

Cress briefly noted the way the muscles in his back contracted in that position, then scurried backwards towards her wardrobe, never taking her eyes off him in case he turned back around. She stifled a yelp when she stumbled on one of her shoes.

"You do realize I just saw you in a bikini, and before that we were walking down the hallway together with you _only_ wearing your towel," he said.

"Yeah but now I'm _nude_ under my towel!" she cried, scrambling to find a pair of underwear.

"Which isn't a big deal unless you _remove_ your towel, so why don't you just stay where you are and I'll go in the bathroom so you can change and I can take a shower?"

"No!" she cried. "I need to blow dry my hair and get ready. _In the bathroom_. You can stay out here."

"I'm freezing!" he complained. Then, more accusatorily, added, "Hey, you washed your hair?"

One hand still clutching the top of her towel, she managed to grab what she needed and darted into the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

"Hey!"

There was instant pounding on the door. She ignored it and hung up her wet towel, snatching up another one to wrap her hair in.

"Oh _sweetheart_ ," came Thorne's voice, sounding like he was speaking through clenched teeth. "I would really appreciate if I could use the shower."

"Busy!" she called back gleefully, unable to hide a snarky grin from spreading on her face. Served him right for startling the living daylights out of her. And though she would of course let him take a shower eventually, she took her time slipping on her clothes.

"I don't think you're quite catching on to how the whole sharing a room concept works!" he said, still knocking and no longer trying to hide his annoyance.

"You should know by now that women need their time getting ready, _Captain_! And there is another bathroom down the hallway by Ran if you get desperate."

She removed the towel from her hair and ran a brush through it, and though Thorne didn't say anything, she heard a distinct "ugh" from the other side of the door. She nearly giggled.

"I guess if you don't come out of there you'll never know what happened between me and your dad."

Cress's eyes widened. The chat!

She threw open the door, only to find that Thorne had been leaning against it and stumbled into the bathroom.

He righted himself and shut the door behind them. Then he grabbed a towel from the vanity.

"Oh no!" she said, holding her brush like a weapon. "You are not showering in here while I get ready."

"Cool your rockets," said Thorne, hugging himself with the towel. "I'm just trying to stay warm since somebody is a bathroom hog. You're acting like you've forgotten about our contract. This is a companionship service not a—"

"I remember, I remember!" she squeaked. "I'm sorry, your presence just makes me…really uncomfortable."

"You don't say."

"You've noticed?"

"I notice everything. It's my job." He ran a hand through his hair and studied her. "Is there something I can do to make you feel more comfortable?"

Cress chewed on her lip. It was really kind of him to ask her that, even if it was his job. A little dejectedly, she set the brush next to the sink and lowered her eyes. "I'm really uncomfortable whenever you're near me, but especially when we're touching each other. It makes me feel…dirty."

She glanced up in time to see him cringe, and immediately wanted to take it back. "It's not because you're disgusting or something! On the contrary, you're actually very attractive. I mean, of course you're attractive, otherwise people wouldn't hire you. We've discussed that already." Oh stars, she was babbling now. Trying to stopper it, she shrugged and added, "Every time we touch it reminds me that it's all a lie."

"Do you want to come clean?"

"No!"

"Then there's nothing we can do about that now but keep up our act. You did what you had to. Own up to it."

"I don't know how to."

"That's where you're wrong. When you're not worried about what other people are thinking, you're a natural." He reached out and pulled on a strand of her slick hair. "Like in the hot tub. You clam up when you're overthinking things."

"You think so?"

He let go of her hair. "I can lay off the PDA. Would that help? We started off really touchy-feely, but even real couples have their on and off days. Or we could stage a fight. That would certainly make anyone want less PDA. Then you don't have to flinch every time I reach for you."

"No," she said, shaking her head firmly. The idea of her flinching away from him and him noticing it made her disappointed with herself. Maybe others would notice it too. And she wanted to be the perfect couple, not the couple that didn't flirt or have fun with each other, especially this early on in their relationship. She wanted the others to be jealous of _her_ relationship for once.

"You're right," she said finally. "I have to own up to it. I'll make more of an effort now that I've known you for more than twenty-four hours. I'll…um…create a different scenario in my head. Like…you're my friend."

Thorne raised an eyebrow. "Whom you kiss?"

"Okay, my friend with benefits."

His eyebrow shot higher. "I feel used."

She stuck her tongue out at him, but he nudged her with his elbow.

"I'll figure something out."

"You're doing great," he reassured her. "Just relax. No one down there is thinking, 'Hmm, did Cress rent a boyfriend for the weekend?' It's too obscure to even cross their minds. The only thing they'll be doing is judging me and whether or not I deserve you."

"That reminds me! My dad?"

He grinned proudly. "Nothing to worry about. Just a regular shovel talk."

"Shovel talk?"

"You know"—he dropped his voice in an imitation of her father—"I have a shovel in my garage and if you hurt my daughter I will bury you in the backyard where no one will ever find your lousy body."

Cress's mouth dropped open. "He said that?"

"No, but that's a one-sentence version of a shovel talk. It was a bit like Ze'ev and Kai's interrogation, only scarier."

"So it was scary?"

"For a real boyfriend, perhaps a little. For me, definitely not. I'd like to think we came to an understanding." Thorne walked to the vanity and unzipped his toiletry bag. He pulled out a travel-size bottle of shampoo. "Unfortunately I can't guarantee that your dad is going to get more talkative. I got the impression that your mother made him join us. He'll warm to me more over the rest of the weekend, no worries."

"Did he ask anything weird?"

She wanted details. She did not pay an absurd amount of money to not know every single detail of everything that transpired between them over the weekend. But then, she realized that she was doing exactly what Thorne had told her not to do: overthink things. "Nevermind. If you say that it went well, I believe you."

Thorne watched her suspiciously in the mirror. He looked ready to say something, and then changed his mind. "Can I shower now?"

Cress checked the time on her iPhone. "If you hurry. Yesterday your shower took _forever._ "

"It's a great shower."

"I know!" she said excitedly. "Look at this place! I could stay in here all day."

He chuckled. "You're cute. Now get out."

Cress stooped to pick up her wet bathing suit and, deciding to follow his advice and not worry about what anyone thought, deposited it in front of Thorne. "Hang this up for me when you're done showering, will you?"

"Sure thing."

As she was headed out the door, he called after her, "Is it casual dress tonight?"

Cress glanced down at her pajamas, which had been the first thing she'd managed to find in her haste to get back into the bathroom. "Oh, no. I'm not wearing this. We're having a fancier dinner for Christmas Eve this year because everyone's headed out on Monday morning already."

"Formal attire then? Do I need a jacket?"

"No, not that formal. A nice shirt and a tie or a sweater would be nice. Maybe just a small upgrade from what you were wearing yesterday."

"Thanks for the tip."

Cress hesitated. "I think you'll look great no matter what you wear, honestly."

Thorne smiled, revealing his dimple. "I'm glad you noticed."

Leaving him in the bathroom, Cress approached the wardrobe with anticipation and a twinge of excitement. She had so many outfits to choose from, but unlike the swimwear, she actually liked all the ones she'd brought along. There was, however, one dress that caught her eye immediately at the store last year. It had cost her a whopping $200, even though she had waited for it to go on sale. It had been hanging in her closet since then, waiting for an occasion to be worn. That occasion had never come.

Until now.

It was a knee-length A-line dress with a scoop neckline in a deep, lush red—perfectly colored for a Christmas Eve dinner. The part that she liked the best, though, was that the dress was covered in intricate lace from the neck to the waist, so it accentuated the scoop neckline while also covering up what would have otherwise been too much exposed skin for her taste. The dress already showed off her arms and legs, and that was enough for this occasion.

She hoped it wasn't too fancy. She had back-up choices, but this year she wanted to ooze sophistication in front of Jacin. Maybe then he would stop thinking of her as a little girl. The high-heels she'd selected to accompany the outfit would make her at least three inches taller, and that could help with looking less like a shortcake, and more like a woman.

Remembering when Jacin had first started calling her _shortcake_ sent a pang of sadness into her heart. The way he'd said that to her at first—with a wink—had made it seem like an endearing nickname from someone who might have a crush on her too. Later, when he'd started dating Winter, she'd discovered that he only thought of her like a little sister, making the nickname feel condescending and borderline an insult now. Not that she could tell him that. To make matters worse, soon she really _would_ be his little sister.

She stared longingly at the dress before shutting the closet again. Hopefully, Thorne would approve of her selection.

But first she had to take care of her makeup and her hair.

* * *

Thorne did look rather handsome in his outfit. He'd selected a red tie to match her dress, once she'd shown it to him in the closet and he had vehemently insisted that it was the best choice out of all of them. He also had on a dark gray knitted sweater over a white button-up shirt that was rolled up at the sleeves. The cologne she'd noticed him wearing in the hot tub wafted off him pleasantly, making her want to inhale deeply whenever she was within inches of him.

Cress had managed to straighten her hair and put on her makeup in record time, and was currently struggling with her dress. After a few unsuccessful attempts with the zipper, she emerged from the bathroom, holding her dress up not too unlike the towel she'd been caught in just an hour ago.

Thorne was sitting on the bed again, playing with his phone.

"Can you…would you mind?" she asked, peering down at her dress. "It's just the last little part that I can't get up."

"No problem," he said.

She turned around for him, still clutching the dress. He brushed her hair to the side and rubbed his hands together. "Let's see." The zipper only got stuck twice before he managed to close the last annoying inch and fasten the clasp. "Done."

"Thanks."

She sat down on the bed to slide into her heels.

"Whoa, those are huge."

"I want to be taller."

"I think those will definitely accomplish that."

She stood up proudly and gave a little twirl.

"You look stunning."

The way he was nodding appreciatively actually made her believe that he really did find her stunning, and it sent a wave of emotion over her that she couldn't quite place, but it was anything but discomfort. Cress put a hand on his shoulder to prop herself up _just_ a little higher and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"What was that for?"

She shrugged. "Just appreciation. I know I talked about how uncomfortable this whole situation made me, but there have definitely been a few moments where I'm really glad I made that decision."

 _Like this one_ , she wanted to add. _Thanks for giving me the confidence to wear this dress_.

He grinned and extended his arm. "On that excellent note, let's go dazzle everyone. And remember: you look great, I look great, _we_ look great. Together."

"I'll try to remember that."

"Just be natural. Say or do whatever you want. I can be spontaneous about almost anything."

Cress wished she could have half of his ability to spontaneous. She had yet to see him get nervous about anything. Maybe together, if she just trusted him, they really could pull it off. She looked beautiful in her dress—no, felt beautiful in her dress—so that was one less area to feign confidence in. She was accompanied by a man who was far more attractive than Jacin ever would be.

She could do this.

"If all else fails," he added, "just follow my cues."

Cress's response died on her lips at the sound of an angry female voice in the hallway.

"I'll wear whatever I damn well please!"

She froze in front of the door, glancing nervously at Thorne, but he had already cocked his head to listen better.

"That's completely inappropriate to wear in front of your family!" hissed a man with an Irish accent.

"Liam," Cress whispered. "And—"

"Why don't you just say it, Liam? You're disgusted by my outfit."

"Is it wrong to be disgusted that my date looks like a brasser?"

"Why you—"

"No, that came out wrong, Iko—"

"You didn't mind that I looked like a _brasser_ last night!"

Cress, who was now gripping Thorne's arm, looked up at him quizzically.

"I think it means prostitute over there," he whispered.

Cress gasped.

"Last night we were _alone_ ," Liam hissed back.

"So it's fine if I'm disgusting when we're alone?"

"I didn't say you were disgusting!"

"Yes you did!"

Cress pulled Thorne away from the door. "Um, maybe we should wait here until they leave."

But a door slammed loudly, making Cress jump. Thorne put an arm around her back gently. "Do you want me to go say something to Liam?"

Cress craned her neck to hear if they were still fighting, but could only make out muffled voices. She wondered what room the two of them were in. She shook her head at Thorne. "I don't think it's a good idea. What if what we heard was out of context?"

He glanced back at the door, as if trying to make a decision. "It doesn't matter. He shouldn't have called her that. It's completely out of line."

"I think…I think I'd rather go downstairs and not get swept up in more drama than my own. If he's rude to her again in front of us, then you can say something, okay?"

Thorne rubbed her back soothingly. "If you're sure."

"I'm sure."

"Let's try this again, then," he said, guiding her towards the door. He peeked his head out to confirm that no one was in the hallway.

When they were only met with the sound of Christmas music from downstairs and the mouth-watering aroma of whatever was cooking, he extended his elbow to her once more. "Would you do me the pleasure of accompanying me to this dinner, beautiful?"

Looping her arm around his, Cress put on her best flirtatious smile. "Funny, I thought you were the one accompanying me."

She felt a sting of pride when his face brightened at her words.


	10. Chapter 10

Cress pictured herself gliding regally down the stairs. With her dress swishing against her legs and such a handsome date on her arm, she was the belle of the ball. Everyone had gathered at the bottom of the mansion to see her and her companion arrive. They _oohed_ and _aahed_ at her style and marveled to themselves about how she, Cress Darnel, was so lucky to have someone like Carswell Thorne at her side.

The boys were jealous too. How had Carswell Thorne managed to snag _her_?

Reality was less dreamy, since her heels made gliding impossible. Though they accomplished the height that Cress desired, she had overestimated just how hard it would be to walk elegantly on a decline. Luckily, Thorne's steady arm kept her from tripping.

There was also the matter of static cling against her thighs. She picked at the fabric, trying to get it to detach as best she could.

"Stop fidgeting," said Thorne. "You're gorgeous."

"Wait," she said when they made it to the bottom of the stairs. "Can you… _see_ anything?"

Thorne raised an eyebrow. "What type of anything are we referring to exactly?"

Cress turned and stuck her butt out just slightly, glancing at him over her shoulder, sure that her face was red and choosing to ignore it. "You know… _lines_."

Thorne's eyebrow raised higher, but he dutifully bent his head and inspected her backside. It didn't help with her blush. Then he put a hand around her waist and turned her towards him. She thought his face had a slight tint of red to it too, but she was so flushed herself that she probably imagined it.

"Do you really want me to comment?" he asked hesitantly.

" _Yes_."

He turned her around again, this time by the shoulders and holding her at more of a distance.

Cress waited.

"We're talking about underwear lines?"

Cress spun. "Why is this so confusing? Can you see lines or not?"

Clearing his throat, he avoided her eyes. "From a purely professional point of view, I think that general area looks line-free. If I had to guess, I'd say that you're either wearing a thong or nothing at all underneath."

She absorbed his bluntness with slight shock. "You could have just stopped at 'line-free'!"

He cleared his throat again. "You caught me off guard! When does a woman actually give a man permission to just stare at her ass?"

"Don't say 'ass'!"

Thorne looked at the ceiling. "Can we go to this dinner already?"

"As long as you're sure it still looks okay. I can still change. I can see it clinging in the front so why wouldn't it cling in the back?"

Thorne slowly placed his hands together in front of him, as if he were praying. Maybe he was praying for patience, because his voice came out strained. "S _weetheart_. Sometimes a little cling is a good thing. Especially around the a—um… _derriere_."

Smiling with relief, Cress took his hand in hers. "So I'm good?"

"You're better than good, sweetheart."

She rolled her eyes at the nickname, but couldn't help emitting a little squeak of excitement. She didn't have to change and Thorne liked her butt.

Or maybe it was just part of his act.

She didn't care. She was back to feeling perfect and giddy and ecstatic. They were good feelings to hold on to, because if she thought about things too much, she would probably throw up.

Lacing their fingers together, Thorne cocked his head in the direction of the corridor and, beyond it, the kitchen. She nodded eagerly.

This could be her big debut into being respected as a _woman_ by Jacin.

They could hear several voices chatting at once when they neared the kitchen. Cress knew that Iko and Liam were still in their room, so they weren't the last to show up, but the fact that other people were already downstairs would allow her to make more of a grand entrance. Though she avoided them by principle, this was one grand entrance that she had not only orchestrated but also desired. It had been one of the images that had convinced her to dial 1-800-CAPTAIN.

Since the family always started with fancy appetizers while the final prep work was completed for dinner, everyone mingled around and chatted. Cress had come to dread this time the past few years, when everyone started coupling up and bringing their significant others to the cabin. She was always either stuck feeling like a third wheel, talking to the adults, or worse, talking to Ran. He never seemed to have a date either.

This year Thorne would be at her side and everything would be different.

Thorne squeezed her hand once before they stepped into the kitchen. Cress couldn't keep the smile off her face.

She saw her mother first, standing by the oven with Aunt Maha, the two of them chatting away happily. Her eyes passed over the other family members, snagging briefly on Aunt Levana and Aunt Sybil, who appeared to be in a bad mood as usual. They were always the most dressed up of everyone, setting an almost uncomfortably high standard of elegance for these family dinners. But Cress couldn't deny that they were a stunning couple.

Looking around with anticipation, she finally spotted Jacin on the other side of the room, which opened into the dining room, with his back to them. His hair was tied back into a ponytail again, and she thought his hair was also slicked back with gel, but she was too far away to see precisely. His black dress shirt starkly contrasted his white-blond hair, but it fit well with his slacks.

She tugged on Thorne's hand and passed a few of her family members, who, to her disappointment, didn't notice their grand entrance at all. That was okay, though, as the show was more for Jacin above all.

Jacin's shoulders shook with laughter, and those around him—Kai, Cinder, Ze'ev, and Scarlet—started laughing too. Cress couldn't see Winter yet, and assumed she was obscured by Jacin, who surely wouldn't be talking to anyone if Winter were not involved.

When they passed by Sybil and Levana, she heard an audible snicker. Cress turned her head to see Aunt Levana shaking her head at Cress, and Sybil trying—or rather, not trying—to cover up her obvious laughter. Cress glanced down worriedly at her thighs, wondering if the cling was worse than she'd imagined, but she saw nothing abnormal. Choosing to ignore them, she stalked past them with her head held high and called out, "Hey guys!"

Everyone turned, including Jacin, and she smiled brightly, keeping her eyes fixed on his face. His eyes dipped to her dress as she'd expected, but instead of the impressed look she'd been waiting for, his brow furrowed slightly before he simply said, "Hey Cress," and then added with a nod, "Carswell."

Everyone chorused their hellos to the two of them, and Jacin stepped sideways to reveal Winter, who had indeed been standing in front of him. She smiled and then let out one of her musical laughs.

_Because Winter was wearing the exact same dress as Cress.  
_

Winter, who had flawless skin and legs for days and curves that didn't require any static cling to show them off. Winter, who made the dress look like it belonged in Milan's Fashion Week. Winter, who had shown up to the party wearing the dress first.

Cress's throat dried up. The panic started setting in. Instead of noticing how sophisticated she looked, everyone would think she was just copying Winter.

"Baby sister," said Winter, clearly not panicking at all, but looking delighted to have found someone else who had the same style, "we match!" She glided forward—yes, Winter had always been capable of gliding in heels, unlike her—and took Cress's arm, pulling her away from Thorne. "Isn't this the best dress? And for so cheap too?"

Cress wanted to cry. _For so cheap_? The dress had cost _two hundred dollars_. Where had Winter found the dress? She didn't even shop at the same boutique stores that Cress did. She tried to smile. "Y-yes. G-great minds think alike."

"Always trying to be like her sister," came Aunt Levana's saccharine voice from behind them. Cress hadn't heard her approaching. Her lips twitched to the side before she took a sip of her champagne glass, marking it with a blood red lipstick smear. "Clearly you didn't get the memo that it's considered highly unfashionable and frankly, pathetic, to show up at a party in the same dress as another, especially when she can pull it off better than you can."

"Hey!" said more than one voice, but Thorne's was the loudest. He pulled Cress close to his side, away from Winter and away from Levana. "I helped Cress pick out this dress. She didn't know Winter would have the same one. And why should it matter? Anyone can see that they're both stunning. Jacin and I clearly lucked out to have these gorgeous sisters as our dates tonight." He kissed the top of her head lightly. "Wouldn't you agree, Jacin?"

Cress didn't wait for Jacin to respond. She detached herself from Thorne and excused herself, claiming that she had forgotten something important in her room.

As soon as she reached the hallway, the flood of tears came immediately. She let them fall silently as she tried to sprint up the stairs so no one would see her, steadying herself on the railing while her heels dug unsteadily into the carpet. When she reached the top and let go of the railing though, she tripped in her haste and fell onto the carpet. The material burned her bare knees and hands, and a sob escaped her.

"Cress? Are you okay?"

Iko and Liam stood above her, gaping at her with concern, but despite her mortification she couldn't stop crying. She vaguely heard someone running up the stairs even as Liam tried to help her to her feet, but she was shaking too much to get up.

"Thanks Liam, but I got it," she heard Thorne say, and then she was swept up bridal-style in his arms before she could even think on it.

For once, Thorne was actually the person she wanted to be around—and only him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and tried to calm down, breathing in his cologne for support, but found her sobs came harder instead. She buried her face into his sweater to try to stifle them.

"Can you guys be cool and keep this between the four of us?" said Thorne.

"But she seems really upset," said Iko.

"So did you, when the two of you were fighting," said Thorne.

There was some silence, broken only by a hiccup from Cress.

"I'm happy to keep that to myself if you'll keep this to yourselves," said Thorne. "We all have some things we'd rather keep private."

"Of course," said Liam firmly. "Come on, Iko. Let's join everyone else downstairs."

A hand rubbed Cress's back. "Do you want me to stay, Cress?" asked Iko. "We can talk if you want. Who cares about the dinner?"

"N-no," said Cress into Thorne's sweater, too ashamed to look at anyone. "I just want C-Carswell," she said, her tears coming out fresh again.

"Okay sweetie," said Iko, giving her back another rub. "I'd want this hunk of a man too. He'll take care of you, I'm sure." After a cough, she added: "I didn't mean it _literally_ , Liam, obviously."

"If anyone asks, we're looking for the necklace I gave her for our six month anniversary," said Thorne. "It must have fallen off sometime when we were getting changed."

"No problem, mate," said Liam.

Thorne began walking, not deterred even the slightest by the 102 lbs of weight added to his person. When he reached their door, she felt him balance some of her weight onto his hip and struggle while turning the doorknob.

"Here we go," he said, depositing her gently on her side of the bed. "You're okay, sweetheart."

Cress crawled under the covers and tried to calm down. _It's not a big deal, it's not a big deal, it's not a big deal,_ she tried to tell herself over and over. No one besides Thorne, Iko, and Liam needed to know she was currently nearing hysteria in her bedroom. And Iko and Liam didn't even know what had happened—only Thorne really knew everything.

_Oh stars._

_Thorne_.

This would be his last straw. If he didn't already think it before, he would definitely think she was a freak now, and surely regret his decision to be this crazy girl's client. There was a clause in the contract that said he could back out at any time if things got uncomfortable. He would surely invoke that clause now. _Any_ guy would invoke that clause.

She felt him sit down by her feet and felt like a child who had just been caught sneaking snacks. Taking deep breaths and swiping furiously at her streaked cheeks, Cress peeked her head out from under the covers and saw a glass of water and box of tissues sitting on her nightstand.

She pushed herself to a sitting position, petted her hair—which was beyond a doubt a ball of static frizz now—and reached for a tissue. When she'd dabbed her face and blown her nose more than a few times, she took a big gulp of water.

Thorne sat at the edge of the bed. Though he was looking at the wall to the side, his profile didn't make him look happy at all. His hands were folded in his lap and his shoulders lacked their normal, impeccably straight posture.

"I'm sorry I'm so emotional this weekend," she said quietly. "I'm normally sensitive but not _this_ sensitive. I'm sorry."

He sighed. "If you had to rate me, right now in this moment, what satisfaction level would you give me? Be honest." He still didn't look at her, choosing instead to twiddle his thumbs.

"W-what?"

"I feel like I'm failing at my job."

Cress's heart sank. He definitely wanted to cut and run. Mustering up her confidence, she leaned forward and reached for his hand. It was a hard feat, with her legs still tangled up in the covers and her dress riding up her legs, but she managed to tap his arm enough that he looked over at her. Seeing that she was reaching for him, he automatically scooted closer.

Taking his hand in both of hers, she tried to look him in the eye. "It's not you, Thorne. You're doing a great job. Me on the other hand…I keep ruining everything."

"You can't let them get to you. Your aunt was a bitch. And Jacin's got his head so far up Winter's ass that he wouldn't be able to see how beautiful you are no matter what you were wearing." Cress gasped and opened her mouth to reply but his fingers came up to her lips to silence her. "Sorry, I know I'm not supposed to say the _a-word_. I can't help it. His face is super punchable."

Cress stifled an impromptu giggle.

"I can't believe Winter had the same dress. Do you think she saw you packing?" he said suspiciously.

Cress shook her head. "I haven't seen Winter in almost two months."

"Maybe she saw it in your closet before that."

"No. Winter isn't insecure like me. She would never do that." Telling someone out loud how insecure she was felt like a smack in the face, but Thorne…Thorne already knew. It didn't matter. He was just there to do his job, and probably still contemplating whether he wanted to finish the weekend with Crazy Cress. Straightening, she let go of Thorne's hand and tried to sound as adult as possible. "The surprise hit me hard. Too hard. But, now that I've calmed down…I'll just…change into one of my back-up dresses."

"No. You look amazing in that dress and changing out of it is the _last_ thing you should do."

Cress was surprised by Thorne's stern voice. "I can't compete with Winter, Thorne. I tried and I clearly lost."

He sighed again. "And this is where you make me think I'm failing. Every time I think I'm making progress, it's like we spiral backwards even further. I try to make you feel beautiful whenever I get the chance, but you don't believe anything I say. "

Though she found herself nodding, she stopped and thought. There had already been a few times this weekend when Thorne had made her feel beautiful. Or at least, acceptable. She had just kissed his cheek ten minutes ago to thank him for giving her the confidence to wear her dress. "That's not entirely true."

"No?" Thorne looked genuinely surprised. "I'll take what I can get with you, then." He rolled onto the bed, over to the spot where he slept, and laid down. "I suppose words can only go so far, though."

"Yeah," she said, laying back too and facing him. "You're a fantastic fake boyfriend, though. I mean that."

He turned on his side, propping his head up with his elbow. After studying her intently, he reached for her hand again. "I know it doesn't mean much coming from a fake boyfriend. Now, if I were your _real_ boyfriend and wanted to demonstrate how beautiful you were to me…" His lips quirked sideways into a smile, revealing his dimple. "That would be a completely different story. You'd have no problem believing me."

Cress considered this. "Not necessarily. I think most women gain some confidence from having a boyfriend, but insecurities don't just magically disappear. It would take a lot to change that."

"I could do it."

"I think you're just overly confident because you've been on so many dates."

"Oh really?" he said, his eyes sparkling with mischief. His big, blue eyes that were fixed completely on her.

She gulped and looked down, but he brought a finger to her chin and forced her to look him in the eye.

"If I were your boyfriend and wanted to prove how beautiful you were, I'd start with your clavicle." He tapped it with his finger over the thin lace of her dress, sending an unexpected jolt of electricity through her. "I'd kiss it here," he continued, moving his finger lightly, "and here...and _here_." His finger stopped and made a circle right above where the lace ended. "And maybe stay awhile."

He removed his finger instantly, but his eyes dropped to a spot on her neck. "Then I'd work my way up to that little dip where your neck meets your shoulder and tell you about the way I wanted to get part of that dress off all night because that lace got in the way every time I wanted to bend down and kiss you right at that spot. Then I'd trail kisses up to your ear, whispering between kisses how adorable your earlobes are and how all I want to do is…" He paused, then shrugged devilishly. Cress blinked in anticipation, realizing that her heart was racing. "Well what I'd want to do would be between me and my girl, of course."

His finger drew a line up her skin to her ear, and Cress shivered. An actual shiver.

Now straight as a board, she focused her attention on Thorne's lips as he continued studying her. "Let's just say that if I were your boyfriend, it'd be pretty hard to get me away from your neck."

"I—"

"But stubborn as you are, you'd argue that anyone could have a great neck. So if we were lying next to each other, like we are now, I'd put my hand against the small of your back and pull you closer so your face would only be inches away from mine. Then I'd begin describing every little detail about your face that I'd memorized. The things that are cute, like your nose. The things that are sexy, like your smile. The things that make me weak every time I see you, like your eyes. The things that are unique to _only_ you, like your freckles."

She waited, expecting his hand to go to her back, but he didn't touch her. _Of course_ he didn't touch her—didn't try to pull her closer. He just…kept talking, as though he were describing a painting at an art show and wanted to explain why it fascinated him.

"I'd tell you that your lips captivate me. That your eyes startle me. That I bet, if you were actually deliriously happy for once, the brightness in them would probably blind me."

He sighed and rolled away, tucking his arms under his head, and stared at the ceiling. Cress felt as though she would tumble forward from the lack of having him in front of her.

"Sometimes it's easier to believe you're beautiful when your man is begging you to put him out of his misery, because your face lights up his favorite dreams and haunts his worst nightmares. Maybe a real boyfriend wouldn't take away _all_ your insecurities, but he should sure as hell make it his job to try."

He glanced over at her. "That's the kind of guy you should spend your time trying to impress, Cress. Is Jacin that guy? Is he worth your tears? Worth changing dresses for when you clearly love the one you're wearing?"

_Jacin._

Cress had momentarily forgotten about him. She touched a hand to her neck where Thorne's finger had grazed her skin moments before, then let her hand fall over the lace to her protruding clavicle. She realized that for the first time that day, Thorne had addressed her by her actual name when they were alone, rather than by his usual pet names.

She inched closer to him.

"Fire!" someone screamed from the hallway.

They both jumped. Thorne's elbow knocked into Cress's head, making her see stars.

"Fire in the kitchen!"

Rubbing her forehead, Cress sat up to Thorne grumbling "sorry, sorry" and urging her off the bed. Not bothering to put on their shoes, they sprinted to the door and threw it open. They were met with frantic cries from downstairs and the distinct smell of smoke.

Thorne cursed and grabbed her hand. "Come on, let's get out of here."

Any lingering thoughts of Jacin and Winter and Thorne and neck-kissing and dresses that Cress still had were replaced with panic and fear. Letting Thorne lead the way, they ran down the stairs to find out what was happening.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big, heartfelt thank you to everyone who participated in #LLC 500k on tumblr last weekend! It made me ridiculously happy. Thanks to regolithheart for organizing, to everyone who participated, and everyone who has read my fanfic over the last year and a half. *Squishes you*

Without her shoes this time—and with Thorne gripping her hand like her life depended on it—Cress had no problem running down the stairs. Her rug-burned knees stung with each step, but she ignored them and pushed her concentration into getting to safety.

She had never experienced a house fire before, and though the practice drills in school and college had always prepped her to be calm, her insides were anything but. She was already too emotional from the evening's events to think rationally.

Luckily, Thorne was not one to panic. Before they reached the bottom floor, he let go of her momentarily and then blocked her from moving. She watched with wide eyes as he ripped off his sweater and flung it at her. "Cover your nose and mouth just in case!"

She did as she was told, breathing deeply into the cologne-scented fabric. Though it was a welcome change from the burning smell, her mouth quickly became sweaty from her own condensation. Thorne lifted the crook of his elbow, covered in his long-sleeved shirt, and put his face into it. Then, with the other hand pressed into the small of her back, he guided her down the last two steps.

It was like stepping into gray, dirty air—the kind that Cress had seen at bonfires, not the kind she'd seen in fire rescues on TV. There was no ominous cloud of potent smoke that told her to _stop, drop, and roll_. She could still see everything, though her eyes watered from looking around.

"Outside," said Thorne, snapping her back to attention when his hand pushed her toward the front door.

The fresh but blustery air hit her skin like a bucket of ice water, so she scrambled to put on Thorne's sweater over her dress. But when her head popped through the opening, she saw him disappear back in the house.

"Thorne!" she called frantically.

He returned almost instantly with her coat, though. "Stay here," he said, draping it around her shoulders. "I want to make sure everyone got out. Go stand with your family." He pointed behind her, but when she turned around to take a look, she heard the front door shut.

She gasped at both his bravery and stupidity. _Come back,_ she wanted to cry out. _Don't try to be a hero_!

But then, the strangest thought occurred to her. Did Thorne have insurance for his job? Would she have to pay for his injuries if he got hurt while working for her?

Her worry for him intensified, but she ran down the snow-covered pathway to the front lawn where everyone was standing. It was more like skipping and wincing, since she had no shoes on to protect her from the frozen ground.

"Cress!" cried Winter, pushing past Ze'ev and Scarlet. She embraced her the moment Cress reached the crowd.

Cress hugged her back, letting her worry seep into her sister's arms. "What happened?" she said, her teeth chattering. She scanned the people in the crowd over Winter's shoulder. Jacin was nowhere in sight, and she couldn't find her father, mother, or Aunt Maha. Everyone else was present, and to her surprise…no one was panicked.

In fact, they looked bored.

Everyone except Aunt Levana and Aunt Sybil. They looked _furious_.

"Oven fire," said Winter, pulling away from Cress. She tucked a strand of Cress's hair behind her ear. "Don't worry, it's going to be okay."

"I—I don't have any shoes," said Cress, trying to calm her racing heart. "Why is everyone out here if it's just an oven fire?"

Winter grimaced. "It all but exploded. You should have seen the flames. Mom and Aunt Maha could have died."

"Where are they? Where's Jacin?" Then, noticing her blunder, she added quickly: "And Dad?"

"They were trying to put it out when we left." Winter bit her lip. "There was a lot of smoke in the kitchen. I think they should have called the Fire Department."

"But Carswell went back inside."

Winter rubbed her arms assuredly. "I'm sure they'll come out if it gets worse. Dad would never let them stay in that case."

"I h-h-hope n-not," said Cress. She could barely concentrate on anything except her feet-turned-icicles. "H-h-hold this." She pushed her coat into Winter's arms.

Then she took off Thorne's sweater, revealing her red dress, which had seemed the worst of her problems only moments before. She tried not to think about that fiasco as she folded the sweater and placed it on the ground with a cringe—but Thorne had more than one sweater, she supposed—and stood on top of it with her feet.

Once her coat was zipped tightly around her too, she felt a little better, even though her bare legs were not happy about the wind chill. If she didn't get inside soon, she would probably get frostbite.

They probably all would.

Cress mused about the clash of fire-hot and snow-cold for a few moments, her thoughts slipping back into her protective imagination. Then, shaking her head, she regarded her sister. "Was it Mom?" she whispered, not wanting the others to hear her.

Not that it would have mattered. Her mom's tendency to become a lush during the holidays was the butt of many jokes, though Cress and Winter—and maybe Jacin now too—knew that it was more of a problem than anyone wanted to admit.

"Not sure. One minute Mom and Aunt Maha were laughing by the oven while they were cooking, and the next thing we knew it was total chaos. Maybe some of the grease from the turkey dripped down onto the coils. I think they opened the oven to put out the fire initially but…"

"But everyone knows that's the worst thing to do when your oven catches fire," Cress finished, letting out a breath.

Winter nodded sadly. Her eyes dipped to Cress's coat, then widened when she saw Cress's skinned knees. "What happened to _you_? One thing you were there, then you were running away!"

"I—"

"You shouldn't listen to Aunt Levana. I _love_ that we have on the same dress. We look great, Cress."

Cress nodded, trying not to think about how Winter could never understand her predicament. "I forgot a necklace. Carswell gave it to me for our six-month anniversary."

"So he said. And your knees?"

"I—um—"

An arm wrapped around Cress's shoulders. She blinked up and saw Thorne grinning behind her. Winking at Winter, he said, "We fell off the bed when we heard about the fire."

Winter's eyes widened even more, and Cress could see her putting together a scenario in her mind.

"Don't tell Sage," said Thorne.

Cress elbowed him in the side, then hugged herself against his waist and chest tightly. She was too relieved that he was safe to be annoyed with him. "Help me get warm," she said.

His arms wound around her instantly. "Everything's under control," said Thorne. His voice was grand and proud, as if he alone had saved the entire house from burning to the ground. "The others will be out momentarily." Then, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, he said, "I'm pretty sure your aunts are going to be pissed at the state of the kitchen though. There's baking soda _everywhere_."

"Thank the stars that we have a lot of that around for baking Christmas cookies," said Winter. "And thanks for helping, Carswell."

Thorne chuckled. "All in a day's work."

Cress grinned, but turned her face into his chest again to keep Winter from seeing. When she had smothered her smile, she looked back at Winter, who was watching her carefully. When she noticed that Cress had caught her staring, Winter laughed airily. "What are we going to eat for Christmas Eve Dinner now?"

"Take-out?" asked Thorne.

Cress and Winter both gasped. The mere idea of Levana and Sybil eating take-out was mind-boggling.

"Or not," said Thorne. "Anyway, who screamed that there was a fire? If I'm going to be a part of this family, we're going to have to better define what constitutes a _real_ emergency. Despite the sizable flames in the kitchen, there was no need for us to run out of our room like maniacs."

Winter sighed. "Iko, of course. She has a pension for the dramatic."

"Well—" Thorne started, but Winter cut him off.

"But a part of this family, Carswell?" she asked. "Are you implying that you may be getting engaged soon as well?"

Cress glanced up at Thorne in panic, and for a brief moment, a deer-in-headlights look that she hadn't ever seen on him crossed over his own face.

Before either of them could respond, Winter giggled. "I'm sorry. It's clear you two haven't discussed it yet. I won't push the conversation."

Cress let out a breath, glad that her inability to think on her feet had made Winter believe she was just nervous about having a "Where is this relationship going?" talk with her boyfriend. Thorne had been a natural.

Thorne was _always_ a natural. How often did he pretend to be engaged to women, anyway?

"It's okay," she said, but something about Winter's question rubbed her the wrong way. Hadn't she just told her this morning that she wasn't even ready to move in with Thorne? "Carswell and I are on the same page about our relationship, aren't we?" She smiled up at him sweetly, and his lips twitched into that same devilish half-smile that he'd given her while touching her clavicle.

Her heart skipped one beat.

"Always have been," he said, winking.

"Oh!" said Winter, perking up. Cress thought she was going to say something positive about their relationship, but instead she pointed at the house. "Jacin's waving for us to go back inside." She pushed past them.

"Great acting," Thorne whispered. Then, his eyes drifted down to her naked feet. "Hey! That's my favorite sweater."

"It's wet now."

He shook his head grimly.

* * *

"If you think for one _minute_ that we're going to continue on as if our kitchen isn't completely _destroyed_ , then you are sorely mistaken. The insurance will come out tonight to survey and document the damage created by _you_."

Cress stood by silently, along with the rest of her family, as Aunt Maha's eyes filled with venom. "By _me_? I'm sorry, Sybil, that you and your wife are too lazy to cook each year and that I offered to make a turkey for everyone. Perhaps next year we can order from a restaurant to avoid the possibility of any future mishaps."

Levana huffed, her old champagne glass back in her hand. Apparently it hadn't been _covered in ash_ enough to use, like everything else she'd already complained about. "We open our home to you every year and this is how you repay us? By nearly burning down our beautiful home and then daring to speak to your sister in that manner?"

"You're not her father," Cress's mom cut in.

"Nor do we need to _repay_ _you_ for hosting us," Aunt Maha added.

"Perhaps we should take a few moments to think before we say anything we don't mean," said Uncle Garan.

"What about Christmas Eve Dinner, though?" whined Ran. "I'm hungry."

"Quiet, Ran," said Aunt Maha. "We're all hungry and stressed right now. Let's just all chip in to clean up and then we can—"

"Absolutely not," Levana cut in. "You heard Sybil. The insurance adjusters are coming over _tonight_."

Cress's dad pushed his glasses up his nose and took a step in front of her mom. He had been silent too, observing the back and forth arguments, but he raised his hands. "Sybil, it's Christmas Eve. The insurance company isn't going to come out here. Especially in this weather."

Sybil peered down at her dad as if she could squash him just with her eyes. "We do not pay them an absurd amount of money to be lazy just because it's the holidays. Someone _will_ come out."

Her dad sighed. "Then you better call the Fire Department too. It'll look irresponsible if they were never notified of a fire requiring someone to work on Christmas Eve."

"And whose fault is that?" cried Sybil.

A shouting match ensued, which made Cress look down at her feet in embarrassment. The kitchen did look like a disaster, and the charred oven was most certainly destroyed, but why did they have to make such a scene about it? Thorne was going to think they were all crazy too.

When she dared look over at him, though, she saw that he was whispering with Kai about something. Kai's eyes crinkled with laughter and he covered up his mouth to keep from laughing aloud. She sidled over to them and stood awkwardly next to Thorne in an attempt to be included. But Thorne and Kai kept whispering to each other.

Cress's eyes snagged on Jacin, whose back was to her. Winter was leaning in to him, and he was alternating between talking and kissing the top of her head.

Resisting the urge to gag, she took a few steps back to her original spot next to Iko and Liam. She wondered if they had gotten in a fight again, because for the first time since they'd arrived, they weren't attached in any way. In fact, it looked like they were pretending not to notice the other's presence.

Cress rubbed her arms. The windows were still open, airing out the kitchen from any remaining smoke or ashy air.

"Children," said Aunt Adri, stepping away from all the shouting and approaching everyone else.

Iko's hand shot in the air. " _Objection_." She waved her hand at the rest of her cousins. "None of us are children. We're young adults. Kind-of-old adults, too, if you count Ze'ev."

Cress stifled a giggle as Aunt Adri glared at her daughter. "Children," she repeated. "It seems the adults will be tied up for quite a bit while the Fire Department and insurance adjuster come out here to inspect the property. I suggest you all grab some of the food in the fridge that was—"

"Is there even stuffing?" asked Iko.

"I don't know," said Aunt Adri snippily. "Since you're apparently _young adults_ , why don't you take it upon yourselves to organize what you'll eat? Then find some way to entertain yourselves—away from the kitchen. It's too crowded in here."

She turned away, and as she did a natural huddle formed among the cousins.

"Take-out's sounding pretty good right now, am I right?" said Thorne.

Jacin scowled. "You heard Adri. We're eating what's in the fridge."

Thorne rolled his eyes.

"Come on," said Cress, tugging on his hand. "There were appetizers before, weren't there? And everyone always brings pre-made dishes with so they don't have to cook all day."

"I'm pretty sure that Mom put me in charge," said Iko. "And I say we raid the fridge _downstairs_. The evil aunts always keep all the best food down there. You know," she said slyly, "the stuff they want to save for when we leave."

"I could eat some imported Belgian chocolate," said Ze'ev, nodding.

"That's the last thing you need to eat," said Scarlet.

"Oh look," said Ran, "Red wants to be the food police again."

Scarlet folded her arms. "Call me Red one more time."

Ze'ev stepped between them.

"How about we raid both fridges?" said Kai. Cress glanced at him, jealous at how at ease he sounded in someone else's house. He had always seemed to belong to their family more than she did.

Beside him, Cinder's eyes twinkled. "Didn't you want stuffing, Iko?"

"We should have a sleepover party downstairs!"

Everyone turned to stare at Winter, who squealed happily. Beside her, Jacin's lips pressed into a thin line. If Winter noticed, she didn't say anything.

"I'm too old for sleepovers," said Scarlet.

"Personally, I like sleeping in our bed," said Thorne casually, but Cress noted a hint of disdain in his voice. Of course Thorne would prefer sleeping in a massive, luxury bed over a sleeping bag on a carpet.

"Me too," said Liam firmly. "Iko and I won't be joining you."

"Ugh!" said Iko. "Stop making decisions for me."

"Sorry," he said flatly. He didn't look sorry at all, Cress thought.

"Winter is on to something, though. Instead of a sleepover, why don't we just all chill in the basement?"

Cress thought she heard Ran make an inappropriate comment about _Netflix and chill_ but chose to ignore him. She had learned long ago to ignore almost everything Ran did, including saying disgusting things whenever he had a chance.

"It won't smell down there either," said Iko, wrinkling her nose.

Winter gestured at her outfit. "But we're all dressed up."

"So get dressed down. Let's meet downstairs in pajamas in ten minutes. Everyone grab some food on the way. We can set up a feast on the ping-pong table."

"Pajamas?" said Cress, then bit her lip when everyone stared at her. She had just spent so much time getting ready to look fabulous tonight, not frumpy. Everyone had already seen her in pajamas and casual clothes. But a glance at Winter in her dress reminded her that she had already lost the chance to look fabulous in front of Jacin, anyway, and there was no point in staying in her dress any longer.

"Sounds good," said Thorne. "I'm _awesome_ at ping-pong."

"You _think_ you're awesome at ping-pong," said Kai.

"Here we go," said Cinder. "Should we just leave the men to fight over who has a bigger—"

"Cinder!" said Iko, beginning to laugh hysterically. "I didn't know you had it in you."

"I've had it in me since we began pretending that we cared how much game each of them brought back from hunting," said Cinder, raising her eyes to the ceiling.

Kai's proud smile vanished. "Hey! What do you mean, 'pretending'?"

"We can talk about the archaic practices of these family reunions later," said Cinder tiredly. "Let's just go change."

* * *

Thorne actually _was_ pretty skilled at ping-pong, but he was no match for Cinder, who beat everyone, especially Kai. Ze'ev came closer and closer to beating Cinder every year, but she remained the reigning champion. She possessed the uncanny ability of predicting the moves of her opponent, whereas Ze'ev's girth usually gave him a one-up on the other players.

Cress didn't even try to play, choosing instead to observe and cheer on the games from the sectional couch. It helped her stock up on some Belgian chocolate while everyone was distracted, too. They were one of her favorite treats, and Winter and her had often taken turns sneaking down to the basement at Christmas for them when they were younger.

Thorne told her to come be on his team, but she knew she would just get in the way. Everyone liked to joke about her lack of coordination, and she didn't need another excuse to showcase it.

"I give up," said Thorne, surrendering with a mock-bow. He extended his paddle to Cinder, who took it and whooped.

Thorne joined her on the sectional, where she had claimed the long chaise and could lay down or sit as she pleased. Since she was currently sitting, he squeezed in between the armrest and her body, forcing her to move over just a bit to make room for his legs too.

"Good job," she said, holding out a chocolate for him.

"Maybe later," he said. "I'm stuffed."

To his credit, he had eaten two helpings of stuffing, a pile of mashed potatoes, two squares of her mother's casserole, a bag of popcorn, and an entire plate of desserts that they'd found in the basement.

"On second thought," he said, snatching the chocolate away from her, "there's always room for one more sweet." While he munched on it, he nudged Cress with his elbow. "How are you doing?"

She shrugged. "I'm okay."

"You look adorable in my hoodie, you know."

Cress glanced down at the over-sized Vikings hoodie. He'd insisted that she wear it, because "all girlfriends have a hoodie from their guy." Cress felt like she was drowning in it. She'd worn the tightest pair of yoga pants she had brought with, hoping that it would off-set the baggy look of the sweatshirt.

"You really like the Vikings, don't you?"

His eyes widened. "You don't?"

She shrugged again. "I think football is kind of dumb."

Thorne made a stabbing motion with his hand over his heart. "We can't be together. This relationship is over. I'm leaving you, sweetheart."

Cress giggled.

"Who's leaving who?" said Jacin, sitting down next to Cress abruptly. She stiffened.

"Teddy Bridgewater might be leaving the Vikings, have you heard?" said Thorne.

"Can't say I have. Not much for football."

Thorne's mouth dropped open. "Are you the one who's a bad influence on my woman? She's not a fan either."

Cress let out a high-pitched laugh. "Jacin? Influence me? That's what he's got Winter for."

An awkward silence ensued, but before Cress could turn bright red, Thorne reached over and tickled her sides. Cress shrieked and he grinned at her, his fingertips lingering on her waist, teasing. "You know you secretly love the Vikings, sweetheart," Thorne insisted. "You know I'm rubbing off on you."

But Cress reached out and grabbed for his sides too, remembering just the right spots where he was sensitive from their water war. But unlike the unfair advantage he'd had in the hot tub, Cress had no problem getting on top of him this time before he could attack back. She put all of her strength into tickling him and he started laughing so hard that she thought he might cry. It was the cutest thing she had ever seen.

"Cress?"

Cress's hands froze at Jacin's clipped voice, and so did the laugh on Thorne's lips. A flash of annoyance came over him, but Cress was too busy rolling off Thorne to think about it. When she had pushed herself back into a normal sitting position, Thorne's casual smile was back on his face.

"Do you go to games with Carswell?" asked Jacin.

"Of course," said Cress.

"Since when?"

"Since we started dating, of course" said Cress, wishing that he would just go away.

"But you hate football."

Cress played with one of the strings on Thorne's hoodie. "Don't you do everything with Winter?"

She remembered the initially-subtle ways that Jacin had tried to find out Winter's interests. Then, when he'd confessed his feelings for her to Cress, it had gotten more blatant. By the time they started dating, he was all but running after Winter like a puppy, eager to do anything and everything that she wanted.

"Of course," said Jacin. "But Winter and I match each other perfectly."

"Cress and I match each other perfectly too," said Thorne defensively.

Cress reached for his chin with a smile and pulled him down for a peck on the lips. They were warm and welcoming and tasted of Belgian chocolate. She made to turn back to Jacin, but Thorne grabbed her face and pulled her back to his lips. He gave her three short kisses, then pressed her head to his chest and held her close.

"I didn't mean to suggest…" said Jacin, trailing off. "I'll leave the two of you to yourselves, then."

As he got up off the couch, Thorne stroked Cress's hair. When Jacin was out of earshot, he muttered, " _I'll leave the two of you to yourselves, then_ " in a mock-impression of Jacin. Then, more seriously, he said, "You weren't kidding about your Theater Major. You've been such a natural tonight. _Great_ acting."

 _Acting_. Right. With the exception of her high-pitched laugh, she had forgotten that she was supposed to be acting. It had all come out pretty easily with Jacin sitting there next to her. "Told you," she said.

"Okay, listen up!" said Iko. "I've picked out a movie for us!"

There was more than one groan in the room.

Iko put her hands on her hips. "Do we suddenly not like movies?"

Cinder, who was still at the ping-pong table, sighed dramatically. "It's the _type_ of movies you pick, Iko. Kai always cries."

"I do not!" protested Kai.

"We _all_ cry," said Scarlet. "Even Uncle Sage, and he can get shot in the foot and not shed a tear."

"Has he gotten shot in the foot?" whispered Thorne to Cress.

"Shh," she said. "Last year our Christmas movie was _Life Is Beautiful_."

"Aces," said Thorne. "That _will_ make anyone cry."

"So what's it going to be?" asked Winter.

" _Stepmom,_ " said Iko.

More collective groans filled the room.

"Are you suggesting that you're suddenly insensitive to your cousins that have step-parents?" said Iko with a gleam in her eye.

There was some grumbling, but they all knew that Iko was a hard person to argue with. Cress wished that someone would suggest _Love Actually_ instead. It was more Christmas-y, and she would put up with Thorne humming Mariah Carey again for the rest of the weekend to avoid watching _Stepmom_. She had blubbered enough for the day.

"I haven't seen that movie. What's it about?" asked Thorne.

"I think the title is pretty self-explanatory," said Iko. "And it has Christmas in it. It's perfect while we deal with all of our own family drama." She pointed up to the ceiling, where all of their parents were likely still dealing with the aftermath of the oven fire.

"Sounds good," said Thorne, leaning back in the couch.

"I'm going to cry like a freak," Cress whispered urgently.

Thorne laughed under his breath. "Nothing I haven't seen before, sweetheart."

_Ugh._

Everyone began to settle on the different couches, which conveniently faced the massive projector screen that was set up in the basement. It made the perfect home movie theater.

Ze'ev, however, walked toward one of the storage closets. "Anyone want a beer? Levana and Sybil have got a nice supply back here."

Thorne got up, along with most of the others, and soon returned with four beers—two for him and, apparently, two for Cress.

"I'll just take one, please."

"Even at Christmas?"

Cress mustered up some courage, glanced around her to make sure no one was listening—no one was, they were all getting settled—and then said in a low voice: "Have you seen my mom?"

He studied her for one minute while she tried to send silent meaning to him with her look. He nodded quickly and put two beers down by the side of the chaise. "I'll just have one too, then. Don't want to end up with a beer belly, after all."

Cress snuck a glance at his stomach, which was covered in another hoodie of his, just a plain gray one without a logo of any kind. It fit him more snuggly than the one she was drowning in, of course, and she knew that beneath it were rock solid abs. She'd seen them several times already.

He wasn't even _at risk_ of a beer belly anytime soon.

The lights dimmed, and soon the opening credits of _Stepmom_ rolled onto the screen. Cress glanced around again and saw that each of the couples had spread themselves out around on the couches for a bit of privacy. Even Iko and Kinney were cuddling, so she hoped that meant they had resolved their differences from earlier.

Ran was nowhere in sight, and she imagined that he had probably split at hearing which movie he would have to suffer through.

She stretched her legs out again on the couch and, finding that she was actually quite relaxed at the thought of watching _Stepmom_ , hummed happily. Even if she cried, she wouldn't have to think about impressing anyone during a movie. She could just sit back in the dark and let the tears flow along with everyone else. And, for once this weekend, they wouldn't be tears of sadness at her own situation.

The thought of tears, though, reminded her that she had no tissues—an absolute must for _Stepmom_. She sprinted off the couch towards the bathroom, grabbed the tissue box, and slipped back into the dark room.

When she found Thorne, he had spread himself out more on the chaise, his legs splayed out in front of him in a comfortable position and taking up all the space. Cress sat down next to him on the sectional, but he didn't move, his eyes glued to the screen. She had forgotten he hadn't seen the movie yet.

"Scoot over," she hissed, setting the box of tissues down.

He glanced at her next to him, then to his legs, then back at her. He grabbed her by the waist and lifted her over his legs in one quick motion, settling her between him. Cress sat there, a bit nervous, but he just pulled her back close to his stomach and continued watching the movie.

Trying not to admit to herself that the position was actually comfortable, Cress leaned back against him, her head falling just above his chest. She settled into the position, putting her hands into the front pocket of her hoodie.

On the screen, Isabel was already messing up the kids' schedules. On the chaise, Cress could feel Thorne's heartbeat when she was this close to him, hear him swallow just above her ear.

He took a sip of his beer, which made Cress suddenly feel parched, so she took a sip of hers too. When they had both put their bottles down, Cress fumbled around by the box of tissues for her stash of Belgian chocolate. She chased the beer with it, enjoying the way the flavor mingled on her tongue.

When she was done snacking, she scooted back just a little bit more into Thorne to get comfortable. He rested his hands lightly on the side of her thighs. Hers found their way back into her hoodie pocket, and soon she was sighing along with Isabel, who just couldn't get anything right with her future step-daughter, Anna. If only Anna knew now just how much she would love Isabel later.

Her attention drew from the screen back to the couch when Thorne shifted behind her to sit up just a little straighter. Then his hands slid into her hoodie pocket too, covering her own hands. Cress drew in a sharp breath.

"You okay?" he whispered.

She nodded. She was fine. Her heart was _not_ suddenly beating just a little faster than before. Why should it, after all?

Thorne's thumb dragged over the top of hers.

Her pulse skidded again, but she forced her eyes back on the screen. _Okay, so Isabel was_ —

Now he was drawing circles on the top of her hand.

Her cheeks flushed, but she dared not move. Not that she wanted to. The light graze of his touch was soothing and steady—almost rhythmic. It made her want to close her eyes and let it lull her into a gentle, peaceful sleep.

Except—

 _Stars_. Her eyes _were_ slipping shut. But contrary to her previous thought, she had no desire to sleep at all. She found that every part of her was attuned to the sensation of the shapes he was making against her skin.

The image of Thorne lying next to her on their bed popped into her mind. _"Let's just say that if I were your boyfriend, it'd be pretty hard to get me away from your neck."_

A new image of Thorne's lips brushing against the small dip above her clavicle made goosebumps erupt on her skin.

Cress sat up abruptly and climbed over his left leg, nearly slipping on the tissue box and all the chocolates that were scattered on the couch. Thorne's hand stayed on her waist until she was properly settled with her legs crossed underneath her.

"You okay?" he whispered again.

"Great," she said. "We don't have to pretend right now, though. No one is paying any attention."

She watched Thorne's eyes try to search hers in the dark, but she turned back to the movie in front of her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him shrug and reach for his beer. He took a long sip.

Cress pulled on the strings of her— _his_ —hoodie again and then stuffed as many chocolates in her mouth as she could handle. They dissolved perfectly on her tongue again and made her want to moan at how good they were. The Belgians really knew how to make chocolate.

 _That_ was what she had been craving.

 _Not_ Thorne.

And definitely _not_ his lips.


	12. Chapter 12

"Hey. Cress. Time to wake up."

Cress's lashes fluttered open reluctantly at the sound of Thorne's voice, accompanied by a gentle nudge on her shoulder. She always slept curled on her side and found, somewhat to her dismay, that she had gravitated closer to the middle of the bed throughout the night.

Luckily, Thorne was not lying next to her. Instead, as she yawned and pulled the covers against her tightly on instinct, she saw that he sat cross-legged on the bed, already dressed. A coffee mug balanced precariously on his knee. "Merry Christmas, beautiful."

"Merry Christmas," she mumbled tiredly, pushing into a sitting position. Though she pulled the covers along with her, she realized that she was still wearing Thorne's hoodie.

As if noticing her suspicion, Thorne shrugged. "I didn't feel comfortable taking it off." The mug teetered on his knee, and he passed it to her. "Here, drink this."

She accepted the coffee automatically, but his words felt mushy in her brain. "Taking it off…?"

"You fell asleep before you had the chance to change. I think someone's day was just a little too draining." He chuckled good-naturedly.

"Oh." Cress took a sip of coffee. "You carried me up here?"

"Nah. Just zombie-walked you upstairs."

Cress took another sip and paused. "Is there cinnamon in this?"

"Yup."

"Hmm."

Thorne watched her drink her coffee as though she were a fascinating science project.

"What?" she asked, feeling self-conscious.

"Is it good? The coffee?"

"Surprisingly…yes." Besides the cinnamon, it had some sort of extra kick in it, but she couldn't place it. It made her want to drink an entire pitcher of the stuff. It would probably help with the headache that was beginning to form at the base of her skull.

He beamed. "It's one of my specialties. Don't ask me the secret ingredient because I won't tell you."

Cress sank against the pillow and sighed. "Are you always this chipper in the morning?"

"It's Christmas!" Thorne bounced a little on the bed. Then, his face took on a bit of a chagrin. "Actually, I'm really glad you're awake. I sort of heard your parents doing it so I—"

Cress choked and nearly spit out her coffee. "What!"

"Yeah no big deal but I didn't really want to stick around, if you get my drift, so—"

"No big deal!" Dropping her mug on the nightstand with a squeak, Cress slid down under the covers, humiliation flooding her features with heat. The idea that Thorne had heard her parents was too mortifying to fathom. Oh _stars,_ no, no, no, _no no, no!_

To her surprise, Thorne slipped underneath the covers too and grinned wickedly. "Personally, I hope I'm still having Christmas morning sex when I'm fifty."

Cress covered her ears. "No! Stop! My parents exist in a bubble where they never— _ever_ —they just—don't!"

"As I was saying," said Thorne loudly,"I went downstairs to get some peace and quiet. That didn't really work out either though. Sybil and Levana were awake so I had to chat with them, which of course was such a _joy_." He grimaced, which almost made Cress smile. Since Thorne had maintained such a good attitude about everything and everyone this weekend, it almost felt like a small victory to find out he'd been annoyed to be stuck with her aunts. "They made me put on this sweater."

He gestured at his chest, and it was only then that Cress noticed what he was wearing. It was suddenly impossible not to giggle, and soon her fit of laughter made her move the covers away from her face to keep from getting too warm.

"Don't laugh. This is _not_ attractive. You want me to be attractive."

"My aunts love to implement ugly sweaters on Christmas morning," said Cress, picking up her coffee again. "It's an unfortunate tradition." Another giggle escaped her when she saw his face. "If we have to wear one, you have to wear one."

"It's too baggy," he whined. "And there is a _reindeer_ on this." He pointed at his chest again, his finger directly in front of the large red nose. The bright green background didn't exactly help either.

"Consider yourself lucky. Jacin has one with Santa sitting on the toilet."

Thorne raised his eyebrow. "And yours?"

"It's brown and it has a fruit cake on it and says Fruit Cake." She stuck out her tongue in disgust.

Thorne, however, finally smiled again. "Well, I guess I can't argue that I'd rather have a fruit cake sweater than a reindeer sweater. Who even likes fruit cake?"

"Who even likes me?" said Cress, before she realized that she probably should have kept that to herself. Thorne sighed and pushed himself up to his knees. His look made her cringe. "Sorry. I need to stop doing that."

"Especially on Christmas. No time for anything but cheer and merriment."

"Cheer and merriment?"

He leaned in close, and for a moment Cress thought he would kiss her on the lips, but he pecked her forehead and then rolled over her to get up and off the bed. "Yes. Now get dressed. I'm hungry."

* * *

The fact that everyone downstairs looked ridiculous in their Christmas sweater—even Winter, for once—made Cress feel almost the same confidence she'd felt when she'd first put on her red dress the night before.

Iko had once encouraged everyone to look as ugly as possible on Christmas morning, which had also become somewhat of a tradition, even though Iko had tried to revoke that when she'd gotten more interested in fashion. Cress still fluffed her hair, put on some jewelry, and added a touch of makeup, trying to look like she woke up with a natural glow.

Thorne's hair was a little rumpled, but in a strangely sexy way. Cress kind of wanted to run her fingers through it and tousle it up even more, but that desire made her feel odd and inappropriate.

Though the sweater wasn't flattering, he had managed to tuck the front of it into a pair of jeans. With the same style of rolled up sleeves as the night before, the emphasis of the white collared shirt he donned beneath it was enough to still make him look desirable. Cress wondered if he couldn't make any look work for him, simply because he decided that he would fit in.

Breakfast was mostly uneventful. The adults had apparently spent the majority of the evening cleaning the kitchen after the insurance agent had left. Everyone was tired from the night before, so there wasn't the usual dull roar of conversation. It trickled in and out, led mostly by Thorne, who always seemed to have something to say to those who were around him.

Cress had trouble looking her parents in the eye after what Thorne had shared with her. He spent most of his time chatting with the guys, though, and Cress found herself constantly checking in on him to see whether he seemed to be enjoying himself. His cheery disposition had not let up at all, even when Levana and Sybil tried to ask him annoying questions.

Midway through breakfast he scooted his chair closer to Cress and placed his hand on her knee. Though he kept talking to the guys, he often looked at her and winked or smiled. The attention made her feel at ease—she didn't have to talk as much because he was there, but he didn't leave her alone just because she wasn't as chatty.

At one point, Cress caught Winter and Jacin staring at the two of them. She smiled to herself as she chewed on her piece of Kneip bread—a specialty that her Norwegian grandmother had taught her mother to make when she was little. When she looked up again, Jacin was whispering something into Winter's curls.

The sight made Cress lean over and kiss Thorne's cheek. His smile widened and, despite the joke he was currently telling to Kai, he interrupted himself and said, "Dang, this girl gets me every time." His hand snaked around her wait and he drew her as closely as possible, considering the chairs between them, then made a show of peppering her cheeks with kisses of his own.

Cress blushed; almost everyone at the table cooed.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jacin frown.

"What do you say we all play in the snow after presents?" said Winter.

All of the attention turned to her and everyone began chattering excitedly about whether they would try to sled, or walk on the frozen lake, or build snow forts. The snowfall last night had not disappointed, with speculation of up to two feet fresh on the ground and no certainty as to when it would stop coming down.

Cress loved the snow, but she desperately needed it to stop snowing so that she didn't get stranded at the cabin tomorrow morning. She could not afford to have Thorne for more than the time they had agreed on. He had warned her very specifically that he charged overtime at an hourly rate if any scenario made them exceed the expiration time they'd agreed on. Cress had already allotted a few extra hours in case of traffic.

Her mind drifted to an extreme scenario where Thorne fell into the frozen lake, got hypothermia, went into a coma, and ended up in the hospital for several weeks. She imagined him letting her make a payment plan, with absorbent interest rates, and at forty years old, Crescent Darnel was still in debt to Carswell Thorne.

"Cress?"

"Hmm?" she said, shaking her head and turning to Thorne when he squeezed her knee.

"I'm going to help with breakfast clean-up. Why don't you just hang out with your cousins?"

She nodded. "Sure."

Cress stood up absentmindedly and dropped her dishes on the counter, wrinkling her nose at the charred smell that still lingered by the oven. She had one more vision of begging Thorne on her knees to eliminate her debt, to set her free, to have mercy.

She shook her head. Despite Thorne being in a somewhat shady profession, he wasn't cruel, was he? Surely in extenuating circumstances such as that, he would understand. He would probably thank her for saving his life, in reality, and be glad that she had stayed by her side while he was in a coma. She realized then that she didn't have an emergency contact number for him. His family wouldn't even _know_ he was in a coma.

She smacked into someone and quickly apologized, trying to making her sudden rise in anxiety settle down at the same time.

"No problem." The deep voice brought her out of her thoughts. Jacin stood an inch from her, with his ridiculous Santa-sitting-on-a-toilet sweater. She gulped at the sudden proximity of her long-time crush.

"Sorry, sorry," she said, brushing herself off as if being around him would make her fall in love with him again. Though to him, she probably just looked crazy.

"You said that already," he said, giving her an uncharacteristic wink. Cress stared up at him, wanting to yell at him for winking at her, for thinking that she was okay with that when she certainly _wasn't_ okay with that. Before she had a chance to think of something clever to say, though, since it always took Cress a little too long to come up with clever comebacks, Cress heard a shrill voice.

"Loo-ook," drawled Aunt Levana, who had come to stand in front of them. "Mistletoe." Her lips curled into an evil smile as her eyes trailed upward.

Cress's head snapped up to the ceiling. Panic shot through her. Not mistletoe! Not Jacin!

She composed herself before she could let that panic show on her face, though. "Ha-ha," she said, rolling her eyes.

"You can't stand together under mistletoe and not kiss," said Aunt Levana loudly, making Sybil snicker. "Look everyone, Cress and Jacin are caught under the mistletoe."

"We're not kissing, Levana." Jacin's voice was sharp and sour. "You're disgusting for even suggesting it."

Jacin had such skill in making Cress feel like he was stabbing her heart with knives, and he did not disappoint her with his comment. Jacin thought she was _disgusting_. Kissing her was _disgusting._

"Oh, it's okay, Jacin," said Winter, laughing a little. "You can just make it a friendly peck. I won't be jealous."

Jacin looked down at Cress and then back at Winter skeptically.

"I'm not...um," said Cress, looking down at her feet. She couldn't kiss Jacin. Not even a 'friendly peck.' She had already hugged him this weekend. That had been too much for her already. Her acting was not _that_ good. If she kissed Jacin, he would know.

Everyone would know.

She took a step away, but Aunt Levana blocked her path. "Winter said it was _fine,_ dear. Why are you acting like the Grinch?"

Cress shot a desperate look at Thorne. _Save me, save me, save me_.

His brow was furrowed as he dried a a dish. "It's not fine with me, though," he said firmly. Cress let out a breath of relief. "In fact, let's take that mistletoe down right now. It's bad news with so many different couples. We don't want anyone getting confused, do we?"

Cress could have paid Thorne an extra $100 just for his help with this matter, and she made a mental note to remember this when she eventually considered his tip at the end of the weekend. Her fears were all wrong; Thorne looked out for her and he'd never make her pay him until she was forty and bankrupt.

Jacin snorted. "Are you implying that I'll get confused? I don't even want to kiss her."

Thorne leveled his gaze at Jacin. Cress shrank back a little at the sight of the two of them. But then Thorne broke into a carefree grin. "Wasn't implying anything. Mistletoe is lame, that's all."

"It is not," said Winter. "Mom put it up herself! Didn't you, Mom?"

Their mother, who was washing the dishes that Thorne was drying, shrugged her shoulders. "I like mistletoe. It's so romantic. Wouldn't you agree, Sage?" She shot a dreamy look at Cress's dad, and he gave her the kind of sappy, lovesick smile that made Cress want to throw up.

"But let's not put Carswell in a tough spot," her mom continued.

"Let's not put Carswell in a tough spot," Aunt Levana simpered. "Poor man doesn't trust Cress, obviously."

"Excuse me?" said Thorne, setting down the dish. His grin was gone.

Cress's mom put her hand on his shoulder. "Levana, let it be. Not everyone is comfortable with the same things."

 _Not everyone is comfortable kissing their future brother-in-law!_ Cress wanted to cry. But as usual, her mouth was not capable of making coherent sounds.

Iko raised her hand. "Is this getting awkward for anyone else? Why is this so awkward?"

Liam cleared his throat and lowered her hand. "Why don't we all go get ready for presents."

"And leave the awkward in here. _Seriously_ , Levana," said Iko.

Those who were still in the kitchen shuffled out after them, including Jaciin and Winter, leaving just her parents and Thorne in the room with her.

Letting her shoulders drop from the release of tension, she left the room too, carefully avoiding the exit that included the mistletoe—just in case. Thorne could bond with her family while she prepped the presents she'd bought. Then she had to practice her surprised face for when Thorne gave her the present she'd picked out for herself on his behalf.

When she bent down to open her suitcase, she heard Thorne open the door behind her. "That was a close one," she said, shaking her head.

"What was?"

Cress whipped her head back in surprise. Winter stood in the doorway, not Thorne. When Cress said nothing, Winter gestured at the room. "Is it okay if I come in?"

"Oh," she said, smoothing down her hair, "of course."

Winter walked in, observing the room like it was a puzzle to be solved. Cress's heart rate plunged momentarily, dread overwhelming her. Was there any evidence in the room that Thorne wasn't really her boyfriend? She snapped her suitcase shut, covering the purse where she'd stash the rest of the cash to pay Thorne's fee.

"So, what's up?" said Cress, walking over to the bed and taking a seat awkwardly at the edge.

"Wanted some girl talk with my sister," said Winter, coming to sit by her. "We've barely had time to catch up, even with the boys gone hunting yesterday.

Cress laughed nervously. "Oh, you know…kinda busy with everyone here. Hard to find a quiet moment."

"This is a quiet moment," Winter mused.

Cress nodded, but didn't say anything.

"I can tell you really like Carswell," said Winter, smiling encouragingly.

"I love him," said Cress quickly.

"Yes, I'd imagine he's quite easy to fall in love with. He's quite charming, and handsome…" Winter trailed off, the smile on her lips turned to a frown. "But I'm worried about you, Cress."

"Oh," said Cress, getting off the bed and beginning to pace, "nothing to worry about with me. I've never been so fantastic."

"I've missed you. We used to be so close."

"We're still close," said Cress.

"You know what I mean. Things have changed."

"I've been busy."

"You just disappeared after Jacin and I got engaged. At first I thought maybe you were mad at me—"

Cress let out a laugh that she hoped didn't sound too fake. "Mad? _Me_? Why would I be _mad_? I'm not mad." She had to turn away from her sister. She was afraid that her emotions would give her away if she looked at her too long. She walked to the mirror over the wardrobe and pretended to inspect her appearance.

"It makes more sense now that you told us you've been dating Carswell all along. I know how exciting it can be when you start dating someone new. And falling in love…" She sighed, in this whimsical way that only Winter could.

Cress smiled brightly in the mirror, proud that her face looked love-struck rather than nauseas from nerves. "Falling in love is amazing. I should have tried it earlier," she said, adding in a giggle for effect.

"I know," said Winter, "but I was talking to Jacin and he was worried that maybe your relationship isn't healthy. He wanted to talk to you about it himself but…he didn't feel that it was his place."

"It's not his place at all," said Cress, her blood beginning to boil. "My relationship is plenty healthy!"

"Is it?"

Her eyes narrowing, Cress spun on her heels and finally faced her sister. She didn't even have to pretend anymore. "Excuse me?" she said, mimicking Thorne from earlier.

"Don't be mad, baby sister."

"Stop calling me that!"

Winter looked taken back. "I always call you that."

"Well, I hate it."

"Okay…I won't call you that anymore. I'm sorry, Cress. Please don't be mad. I get sad when we fight."

Cress crossed her arms, her patience running thin. This conversation was not a part of the plan at all. "I can't believe you think my relationship isn't healthy! You've only known Carswell for two days!"

"I've seen the way you look at him, Cress." She sighed. "Remember when we watched Twilight together and the mom pointed out that if Edward moved, Bella moved? I see that same dynamic with you and Carswell. You're always watching him out of the corner of your eye like you want him to agree with what you're doing…like you need his _approval_. I know you're shy but he's always taking over. I don't want him to control how you react to things."

Cress rubbed her eyes tiredly. She would have laughed if the situation weren't so absurd. Of course she was looking to Thorne for approval. He was the one who always knew what to say, not her. He was the expert in faking relationships, not her.

But she couldn't tell her sister that.

"You're one to talk! And Jacin! I can't believe this is coming from him. Jacin doesn't talk to anyone else except you, unless he's sucking up to Mom and Dad! He barely makes any effort at integrating with this family as his own person. He's totally obsessed with you."

When hurt flashed in Winter's eyes, she wanted to take back what she'd said. But it was true. Jacin had been obsessed with Winter from the first day he'd seen her. Only he hadn't bothered to fill Cress in on that very important detail. If anyone was at fault, it was him.

"Look," she said, going back to the mirror, trying to dial her voice back down to the casual complacency of someone who didn't make a habit of upsetting her sister on Christmas Day. "I only meant that you and Jacin spend all your time together."

"We're engaged, Cress."

"Well, Carswell and I will probably get engaged."

The same look of hurt returned to Winter's expression. "But yesterday with the girls you said you were taking it slow."

Cress twirled a strand of her hair. She was already lying anyway, so why not sweeten it even more? "You know I'm a private person. I don't need Iko blabbing to Mom and Dad that I already want to marry my boyfriend. Especially when they've only just met him."

"Ok, so—"

"Look, Winter. Nothing's finalized, okay? All I'm trying to say is, you don't have worry about me. You have Jacin and you're always saying that he's your everything. I have Carswell now and he's _my_ everything."

The door opened, and this time Thorne did walk in, smiling broadly at the sight of Cress standing there. But then his eyes snagged on Winter behind her, and his smile seemed to turn less genuine, though Cress wondered if she was the only one who could tell.

"Ladies," he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Would you like some privacy? I can come back."

"No," said Cress. "I think we're done."

Winter got off the bed and gave both of them one of the smiles she was known for. "Yes, I agree." She walked to the door, but paused in front of it. "Cress?"

"Yes?"

"Please think about what I said."

Cress nodded, but Winter was already walking out the door. When it closed behind her, Cress slumped against the wardrobe, letting out the biggest breath. Her mind began spinning at everything she had dared to say to her sister.

"What did she say?" asked Thorne.

Cress looked up at him standing there, in his reindeer sweater with his sexy hair and his crooked grin. "She really likes you," she said. "Everything is going just as planned."


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been a while since I updated. For those of you who don't follow my tumblr, I'd like to let you know that I am dealing with some chronic health problems and will update as I am able. Though time between updates may vary, I am not abandoning this fic. Thanks for reading and have a great day.

"You're crushing my arm."

"You're in the wrong spot."

"I can't see anything."

"The tree is not in the center. The tree is supposed to be in the center."

"Ze'ev, could you move _behind_ Scarlet?"

"Maybe we should put all the men in the back."

"This is _my_ house and I will be featured front and center as always."

"Your stupid elbow keeps hitting my ribs, Ran."

"Your stupid face keeps hitting my line of vision, Iko."

"Did I say you had permission to kill Ran yet, Liam? Because you—"

"Can we just smile and get this over with?"

Cress's headache was getting stronger with each passing moment. Thorne's hands were still gripping her waist from behind, and every time she glanced back at him she saw that even his smile was becoming more strained.

She couldn't blame him. For the newbie, the traditional family photo—that traditionally included at least a half hour of bickering before the photo was actually taken—could be quite stressful. Stars, _Cress_ was stressed and she participated in it every year.

Her smile was plastered on her face, ready for the picture to be taken. She would not be the one who wasn't prepared this year. Despite being in the front by default due to her height every year, it was not on solely a single occasion that she had missed Uncle Garan pressing down on the automatic timer. This year, with the addition of everyone running up to grab a shot with their smart phones, she tried extra hard to keep her attention focused forward.

If a picture with her hired companion was going to go down in history, then she might as well look fabulous in it.

Then again, how fabulous could one really look in a fruit cake sweater?

She let the thought slide away as Thorne gave her waist a small, reassuring squeeze. It wasn't reassuring enough, unfortunately, because all this picture taking had reminded her of how she had zero photos of her and Thorne on her own smart phone. If someone bothered to pick it up while she wasn't paying attention, they would figure that she wasn't dating Thorne.

The second the thought had occurred to her, she had resolved to take a picture of Thorne in the next free moment and make it her screensaver. Then she would add a passcode to her phone. That sort of thing was always recommended anyway.

But what if her mom asked for some pictures of them together?

Thorne would know what to do, she decided, and then shifted just a bit so her back was firmly against him. It was silly, but his body heat was comforting to her. When she did that, his grip on her waist tightened just slightly, and she let her shoulders drop with a big exhale.

His fingers tickled her.

Cress jumped and shrieked.

The room went silent as Thorne chuckled behind her. "Sorry, sweetheart." To everyone else, he said, "I'm thinking we look great. Can we get this show on the road?"

Cress elbowed him in the ribs. "Carswell!"

"Carswell's right," said Cress's mom, frowning. "Are we ready yet?"

A wave of voices rang out again, making Cress's head throb. "Don't tickle me again," she whispered urgently out of the corner of her mouth.

One of Thorne's finger moved ever so slightly, and her hands flew instinctively to her waist to protect herself. But Thorne only leaned down and rested his head just above her shoulder. "Didn't bother you when a certain someone was around," he whispered.

His breath against her ear made goosebumps appear on her skin, so she attempted to shrug him away while simultaneously checking that no one had overheard them. They were at the end of the line, but her parents stood next to her and Winter and Jacin were on the other side of them.

Thorne ignored her squirming and chose to wrap his arms around her even more and touched his cheek with hers. "I like this position better for a photo. It shows how in love we are, don't you think?"

"This is not a couple's picture, Carswell," said her dad loudly next to Thorne, making Thorne draw away from her. Cress tried to suppress her smile, then remembered she was supposed to be smiling for the picture.

When all the pictures had finally been taken, Thorne released her and Cress shook out her shoulders. Her whole body was cramped and her face hurt from smiling so much.

"Time for presents!" yelled Iko a little too loudly, flying past them and throwing herself into the exact middle of the sectional couch. Liam followed slowly after her.

Thorne grabbed Cress's hand and pulled her to the end of the chaise. Cress remembered what had happened the last time they'd sat in a chaise together, and she moved to the spot next to Iko instead. Thorne quirked an eyebrow but sat down next her. She watched him glance down at his sweater, adjust the sleeves, and then lean back casually. He draped an arm around her with a lazy smile. "You ready for my present, beautiful? 'Cuz I don't think you are."

Cress attempted her best flirtatious smile, though butterflies rose up in her stomach. She had picked out all the presents herself, and soon her acting would once again be put to the test. "It better be good," she teased.

It _was_ good. It was a weekend getaway for the Fourth of July holiday. When she'd bought it, she'd put a lot of thought into its meaning. A weekend getaway showed that they were serious enough to spend that much time together alone, gave each other romantic presents, and were comfortable making future plans. And then, when Fourth of July rolled around and she was still single, she'd have a small vacation to look forward to.

"Oh, it is," said Thorne smirking. "As for me, I'm hoping you got me that spa package I wanted."

"Spa package?" asked Iko, her eyebrow raising as she turned to face them.

Thorne kept smirking. "I like a good massage. Can you blame me?"

Iko looked skeptically down to Cress, then back up at Thorne. "I suppose it's easy to deduce that someone like you would pamper himself. You're kind of high maintenance, aren't you?"

Liam coughed, but Thorne laughed. "The highest."

"He's not _that_ bad," said Cress quietly. She wasn't sure if she wanted to be dating someone who was high maintenance. Then she remembered that he had paid her to use the hot tub. "Then again, maybe he is…"

Thorne laughed again, and Iko and Liam joined in. Cress smiled, pleased that she hadn't messed up the flow of the conversation. Thorne's hand around her shoulder drew Cress closer to his side. "And yet you love me anyway."

Liam made a gagging face, but Iko swooned. "You guys are so cute it's _unbearable_."

"Definitely unbearable," Liam echoed, but Cress saw the eye roll that presumably Iko did not.

"Says the guy who's constantly sucking face with his girl in public," Thorne whispered to Cress as the two of them turned back to the commotion in the room. Cress stifled a giggle.

When everyone had taken a seat, Iko stood up again, designating herself as the official Santa for the morning, which meant that she would pick which presents were to be opened when. Iko was _always_ the official Santa.

Cress thought she saw Thorne's eyes light up at the gigantic pile of presents that spilled out from underneath the Christmas tree. In fact, everyone looked happy and content to have arrived to this part of the weekend. She folded up her legs underneath her, snuggling into Thorne's shoulder and delighting in the extra room Iko had left next to her.

With all the attention on her, Iko slowly pulled the ugly sweater she wore over her head, revealing a red spaghetti-strap tank top underneath. "Ho, ho, ho," she said, tossing it at Liam with a wink. A couple people groaned, but Cress turned almost as red as Liam.

"Iko," said Aunt Levana sharply, "put your sweater back on."

"Not a chance," said Iko, putting her hands on her hips. "All this bending over and grabbing presents will make me sweaty if I keep that thing on." She paused, a small smile growing on her lips. "But you can do the work, if you want, Aunt Levana."

There were a few laughs around the room, which abruptly turned into a few coughs around the room.

Aunt Sybil shot a glare at Iko and patted Levana's hand. "I'll not have my wife mocked in front of me, Garan," she said sharply. "Keep your children in line."

Uncle Garan began to squabble with Aunt Sybil, but Iko ignored them. She bent to pick up the first present. Cress glanced back at Liam, who was still trying to hide his blush. His eyes traveled appreciatively over his girlfriend's form nonetheless. Cress hastily turned her attention back to Iko, and to how she was holding a large, dark green bag.

"Oh, Kai-ai," sang Iko happily, "Santa's first present is for you."

"Or Cinder's present for you," said Cinder.

Kai, who was sitting on the ground with Cinder, rubbed his hands together with a smile before reaching into the bag. He let out a woop when he pulled out a big box. Cress thought she saw some sort of armed figurines on the cover. "Kingdom Wars Reloaded!" said Kai, raising the box in the air.

Thorne let out a breath next to her. "Lucky."

"What is it?" Cress whispered.

"Only the best video game produced in the last decade. This is the newest version."

"Oh."

"Cinder is the _coolest_ girlfriend," said Thorne. Kai apparently thought so too, because he was peppering her with kisses.

"Can we play later?" asked Ze'ev.

"Oh, man, me too!" said Thorne.

"Sure," said Kai.

"No, no, no," said Cinder, taking the box out of Kai's hands. "If you guys start playing you'll just be glued to the same spot all day. This weekend is for all of us to be together. You can play when we get back home." Thorne, Kai, and Ze'ev cried out in protest, but were silenced when Cinder held up her hand. "Ze'ev and Carswell can obviously come over some weekend and then you three can kill the moon people to your hearts' content."

"Dude, how about next Saturday?" said Kai to Ze'ev. When he nodded, they both waited for Thorne to confirm.

"Oh man," said Thorne, sounding dejected. "I would. But that's New Year's. I kinda have a date planned, you know?"

So Thorne already had a date then. Of course he did. He had a 99% satisfaction rate and up until now had been worth every penny. He was probably booked out three years in advance for the one romantic holiday that was only second to Valentine's Day. It was convenient, at least, that everyone thought the date was with her.

"Nice that _someone_ remembers a romantic holiday," said Scarlet.

Ze'ev looked slightly guilty next to her, but all he said was, "Carswell's only been dating Cress for a few months. Of course he's going to remember."

"Aw, c'mon guys," said Kai, "we can still play in the morning. On Saturday. Nothing ever happens on New Year's Eve morning."

"Only on New Year's _Day_ morning," said Thorne out of the corner of his mouth to a suddenly scandalized Cress.

"Can you figure this out later?" said Iko. "Some of us are trying to open presents here." Iko returned to the tree to get another present and luckily ignored Kai when he called her a grinch.

"You know what I've been wondering?" asked Thorne, leaning close to whisper into her ear again. Cress turned away from Iko to face Thorne, and almost brushed her lips against his in the process. She tried to pretend it hadn't happened as heat rushed to her cheeks again.

"What?"

"Is Cinder going to play in the snow later too?"

Cress's brow creased. Why was Thorne whispering? "Of course."

Thorne's voice was so low she could barely catch the words he spoke next. "Well…in that case…how does she do it with her….you know… _leg_?"

Cress, who had been concentrating hard, relaxed a little. "Oh. You mean because it's a prosthetic?"

"Shhh," said Thorne urgently, placing a finger to her lips. "Don't say it so loud."

"It's not a secret. And you can just ask her, you know."

"I have a tendency to be rather tactless, and I doubt you want to me be that insensitive jerk you brought home for Christmas."

Cress rolled her eyes and put more space between her face and Thorne's, though she tried to imagine Thorne as tactless. He was the smoothest person she'd ever met. "It's not insensitive if you ask nicely. Just admit that you're ignorant about it. Cinder gets more offended if people assume that she can't do things, like play in the snow. She has to make a few adjustments because it can throw her balance, but unless she's walking directly on ice it's pretty much the same. You'll see."

Thorne nodded. "Thanks."

"Earth to Cress and Carswell!"

Cress started. Iko had come to stand not far away from them. "This is for you, Cress. And it says it's from _Carswell_."

Cress stared at the present Iko was holding. It was a small—no, tiny—square box, wrapped in exquisite gold wrapping paper with a fancy bow tied around it. It was definitely _not_ the envelope with the weekend getaway that Cress had placed under the tree before the family photos began. No, this box fit perfectly inside Iko's hand. It looked like…like...

"Oh," said Cress quickly, "there must be some mistake. That's not my pres—"

Thorne snatched the box out of Iko's hand. "No mistake. This has got your name all over it. See?" He held it up in front of her and beamed. "Told you that you wouldn't be ready for it."

Cress's heartbeat quickened at the sight of the tiny box in front of her. This was not part of the plan. Yes, she had exaggerated to Winter about the seriousness of her relationship with Thorne just that morning, but surely Thorne wouldn't…Thorne _couldn't_ …

"Is that what I think it is?" said someone in the room. Cress realized that it was totally silent again.

"Open it, Cress!" said Iko excitedly.

Cress didn't dare make eye contact with anyone. They were all watching her and Thorne with anticipation, she knew it. She gulped and took the box from Thorne. His eyes were dancing with mischief, giving her no confidence at all.

Her fingers trembled as she undid the ribbon. What would she say if Thorne proposed? What would she _do_?

"Hey." Thorne's finger tilted her face back up to meet his eyes. "I love you."

 _I could kill you_ , is what Cress wanted to say. But she smiled courageously and let out a nervous giggle that she hoped everyone else would interpret for excitement.

She ripped the paper off, then sucked in a breath at the sight of the jewelry box in front of her.

Iko _squealed._

"C-Carswell," said Cress. "This is…wow…I'm not sure…"

"Open it," he urged.

Cress unlatched the box, her heart hammering in her throat. She almost let out an audible sigh of relief when she saw that inside the box were a pair of diamond earrings.

They were breathtaking. Like the kind of earrings _Winter_ would wear.

"Merry Christmas, beautiful," said Thorne softly.

"Is it a ring?" someone called out, making Cress let out a small laugh. She turned the box towards her family members. "No, they're the most beautiful diamond earrings I've ever seen," she cooed.

"Wow," said Cress's mom happily, "what a thoughtful boyfriend. Sage, isn't that romantic?"

Her dad grunted a reply, but Cress thought she saw the corners of his lips twitch. Cress passed the earrings to Liam so he could send the box around the room for everyone to see, and then she threw her arms around Thorne, who was ready and waiting for it. "You're the most amazing boyfriend a girl could ask for," she said loudly as she hugged him. "Thank you, Carswell!"

"What can I say? My girl deserves the best."

The attention of the room returned to Iko's next selected present, but Cress held on to Thorne. "You gave me a heart attack!" she whispered. "I thought you were going to propose!"

He chuckled. "I would clue you in on that before, sweetheart. I figured earrings were the next best thing."

"But—but I already bought myself a present from you. A weekend getaway, remember?"

"I'm the perfect boyfriend, remember?" said Thorne, thankfully whispering just as much as she was. "Of course I'm going to give you two presents."

"I can't afford those, Thorne. I have to return them."

"Don't worry. They were included in my holiday fee."

Cress paused. "Oh."

"Your hair smells really good, you know that?"

Cress bit her lip self-consciously. "Thanks."

"No really, it's like, the best scent ever." He sniffed her hair deeply, still keeping her in a semblance of a hug. "I would know. It took me a long time to pick out my signature cologne. Whatever you're washing your hair with _works_."

Since she was still crushed against his shoulder, she decided to be brave. "I like your cologne a lot too."

"So you _have_ noticed."

There was a shriek from the other side of the room. Cress and Thorne jumped apart, as if the house were on fire again. But instead of anybody panicking, it was just Winter, jumping up and down. With one hand, she gripped Jacin, and with the other hand, she waved around a thick piece of paper.

"You didn't! You didn't!" she screeched, making Cress nearly cover her ears. Her heart sank a little, wondering what mind-blowing thing Jacin had bought for Winter that would surely top a weekend getaway and a pair of diamond earrings. Winter already had a princess-cut diamond ring, so it was hard to come up with anything that could top that on the spot.

But Winter didn't say anything to Jacin. Rather, she ran to her parents, hugging them while still somehow managing to jump up and down. When she faced the whole group again, the paper still in her hands, her eyes were brimming with tears.

"Jacin, Mom and Dad bought us a house!"

_A house?_

"It's the one we wanted, Jacin! Our dream home!" Winter pulled out her iPhone. "Everyone come look! I have pictures of it on my phone!"

Nearly everyone in the room got up and began chattering excitedly. Even Sybil and Levana wanted to see Winter and Jacin's new house. Cress tried to give the most enthusiastic smile she could muster when Winter caught her eye. But as soon as Winter looked away again, Cress laid her head back on Thorne's shoulder. His fingers found hers, and she wished that the small squeeze he gave her could transport the two of them to another space and time entirely.


	14. Chapter 14

Cress was decidedly the cutest snow bunny out of all of the girls in her family. Not even Winter could compete with her outfit at the moment, and that was saying something. In fact, it was a statement Cress had probably never been able to make before in her life.

She had stopped believing that her luck could change for the better after the entire house debacle, but the Christmas fates had finally shown her some kindness. Sure, Winter was as beautiful as always, but she had somehow—magically—forgotten her snow gear. Luckily for Cress, Winter had elected to wear some old hand-me-downs that Levana and Sybil had stored in the basement.

It was a well-known fact that Levana and Sybil never gave out hand-me-downs that weren't meant for pure embarrassment. Of course, everyone knew that Winter would be beautiful even if she wore a bag, but she couldn't quite pull off this outfit the way that Cress was able to pull off hers.

Iko was the only other one actually trying to look cute, considering that Cinder and Scarlet had already won over their men many years ago. Cress yearned for the time when she was so comfortable in a relationship that she wouldn't even have to wear makeup in front of her boyfriend.

Iko certainly wasn't there yet either. Liam had known Iko even less time than Thorne had theoretically known Cress in their fake relationship, and it was quite obvious that she had also put some thought into her snow gear before coming out to the cabin this weekend. Then again, Iko always put a lot of thought into her outfits. In fact, Cress was incredibly surprised that Iko even wanted to go out and play in the snow. No one really looked good when they came inside afterward.

But Cress understood Iko. There was a lot of pressure to impress a new boyfriend, especially one as cute as Liam, and especially when one was as high-maintenance as Iko.

As she trudged in the snow with Thorne's gloved hand in hers, she couldn't help but smile. A real, genuine smile. In another universe, Thorne and Iko would make great high-maintenance friends. They could probably go to the spa together and pamper themselves in ways that the rest of them probably couldn't even think of.

She knew that this entire weekend probably made her the most high-maintenance of all, but imagining Iko and Thorne interacting kept the smile on her face.

"Glad to see you smiling again," said Thorne. They had reached the lake, and he stopped right before the edge. "Is it safe to walk on?"

"Absolutely. Some people even drive snowmobiles over it."

"Excellent. That gives us a lot of possibility to do romantic things. Got anything in mind?" Before Cress could stop him, Thorne slid to the ground and laid back against the ice, flapping his arms like a mock snow angel. "We can re-create that scene in _Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind_. You know, the one where they go to the Charles River and he tells her that he could die because he's so happy?"

Cress raised an eyebrow, but she stayed put at the edge of the lake. "You've seen that movie?"

"Of course. You don't think I'd survive in this profession if I hadn't seen the Top 100 Romantic Movies of All Time, do you? I've seen the top 200."

Cress looked past him towards the horizon. It was still snowing and suddenly, she was glad for it. There was something peaceful about the snowflakes hiding where exactly the lake met the sky. She used to love winter more than any other season because it always made everything seem more magical than it really was.

The thought took away her happiness. She had once believed the same thing of her sister, back when she was too naïve to doubt anything or anyone.

Returning her gaze to the snow angel in front of her, Cress let the thought melt away like the snowflakes that hit her blue jacket. "Do you ever do anything just for yourself?" she asked, taking a seat next to Thorne's boots.

"What you mean?"

"You know, do you have any hobbies that aren't related to escorting women on fake dates?"

Thorne scoffed. "Naturally. My life isn't just my job."

"Do you—"

The loud whack of a snowball against the ice interrupted Cress's thoughts.

"Hey!" said Thorne, rolling over and sitting up on his knees. "That's totally against all snowball fight rules!" he called out. He was laughing though, and reached out his hand so he could help Cress and himself up.

They looked back towards the house and saw Kai victoriously high-fiving Ze'ev. After another whoop from Kai, the two of them beckoned eagerly for Cress and Thorne to come in their direction.

"Oh no," said Cress. "I bet they want to do a real snowball fight."

"That's awesome," said Thorne, already grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the rest of the group. "I'll protect you and it'll be the cutest thing they've ever seen."

"But I'm a cute snow bunny," Cress whispered, "and snow bunnies don't throw snowballs. They stand around and look adorable."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, but we'll go with it. If you don't want to play then you don't have to play, but I recommend that you do. If it's not something that you'd normally do, it'll make everyone wonder why you're suddenly so fun."

Cress sighed, but she didn't stop walking. Why did being fun have to involve getting chunks of ice thrown at her face?

"I'm not coordinated, and I prefer not to participate in activities that demonstrate that."

"Okay," said Thorne. "I'll catch you on the flipside."

He let go of her hand and began to jog ahead.

"Wait!"

Slowly, he began to jog backward. It was almost theatric, and Cress assumed it was for show. "Yes?"

"I'll do it, but you have to make me look good."

"Sweetheart," he said, "that's what I'm here for."

Cress took in a deep breath. She nodded, the small bit of hair that was exposed below her hat swishing against her neck and prickling her. "Right."

Everyone was gathered around Kai and Ze'ev now, some of them already beginning to gather little piles of snow in front of them. She gulped.

So low that not even Thorne could hear her, Cress whispered to herself: "I am _fun_. I am _interesting_. I have a boyfriend that will make me look good."

"We should do teams," said Kai, putting his arm around Cinder. "I will, of course, be on the winning team." Cress didn't like the way he puffed out his chest with pride. He always got competitive around the family, though she wasn't really sure why. He knew he was a favorite. And whenever she hung out with Cinder and Kai at their apartment, he was as calm and humble as could be.

"Only if you're on my team," said Thorne.

"Here we go again," said Scarlet, putting her hands on her hips.

" _Boys_ ," said Cress, trying to join the banter.

Thorne looked at her, as if almost surprised to hear her speaking, and laughed. "You know you want to be on my team, sweetheart."

"I have a better idea," said Scarlet. "Let's mix it up. Family versus non-family."

Cress saw Kai make some quick calculations in his mind. His arrogance had changed to a little bit of nervousness, but he quickly recovered when he realized who was on his team. Cress had realized it long before him, and her heart was sinking. There was no way Thorne would be on her team.

Ran, however, was the one who spoke up angrily. "That's not fair at all! Me, Ze'ev, Cinder, Iko, Winter, and Cress against Scarlet, Kai, Liam, Carswell, and Jacin? We've got three duds!"

Cress knew she was included as one of the duds.

"Don't be rude," said Scarlet.

"I second that," said a grim-faced Jacin. "Winter's good."

"You've got six people and we've got five people!" said Kai. "You clearly have an advantage, Ran."

Cinder gave him a look. "You're so sweet Kai, defending your girlfriend just like Jacin."

To Cress's surprise, Kai's face didn't fall at all at Cinder's remark. He merely leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

"How about we change it?" said Winter. "We can still do two teams of couples against each other, but family can be mixed. So the only rule is that you can't be on the same team as your partner. Ran can be on whatever team he wants."

"Damn right I will be. I call Captain."

"Oh I'm Captain too," said Thorne, throwing a smirk towards Cress.

Winter rolled her eyes at Cress but gave her a little smile at the same time.

"I get Z," said Ran.

"Hey," said Thorne, "muscle doesn't always mean you got good aim."

Cress grimaced, knowing that her cousin's aim was as good as it could be. He might not have beaten Cinder at ping-pong the night before, but Ze'ev had always been amazing at any sport. She remembered going to his high school rugby games and gasping as he pummeled other players. Ran had eventually joined the team as well, and though he was better than many of the other players, he never quite got as good as his older brother.

Thorne looked around the group to pick his next player. "Sorry, Cress, I'd pick you but the family has left me no other option but to choose… Kai."

"You've already got Scarlet on your team too," said Ran.

"Cress is on yours by default. So is Cinder," said Thorne.

"I'm up next to pick though, so I pick Jacin."

Thorne looked between Liam and Iko. "I'll take Iko."

"Nice. Liam, you're on my team then," said Ran, looking more confident than before. "Let's take five minutes to regroup and think of strategy."

 _Strategy_? Wasn't this just supposed to be a friendly, fun snowball fight? How much strategy could really be involved?

Cress did think that the teams were split up fairly evenly. Ran, Ze'ev, and Jacin were all very good. She had no idea if Liam had ever participated in a snowball fight, and by the looks of his face, he did not seem too excited to be participating in one. Cinder was okay, but she wasn't able to run very quickly due to her prosthetic. Still, Cress knew she was the weak link as always.

Thorne had Scarlet and Kai, and she supposed that Iko would be exactly as useful as she wanted to be. But Jacin had simply been defensive about Winter when he'd told Ran that she was good, because Winter really was not very coordinated either. It was one of the few ways that she and her sister were alike.

She hoped that Thorne would still make her look good. If he was on her team he couldn't protect her, but maybe he would lose on purpose.

 _It's not about winning_ , Cress reminded herself. But Jacin was on her team, and Thorne was trying to make her look good in front of Jacin.

"You got that Cress?" said Ran.

"Um—" said Cress, blinking nervously. "I wasn't really—can you repeat that?"

Ran let out a growl of frustration. "Why don't you just sit on the sidelines, Cress? We all know you're not going to be very useful."

"Shut up, Ran," said Jacin, taking a step in front of her. "Cress is going to do great. Her size can be used to our advantage."

"Yeah," said Ze'ev. "Lay off her, Ran."

Cress wanted to hug both of them. Why was Ran always such a bully? She glanced over at the other group. Thorne was in a huddle with his teammates, his arms draped over Iko and Winter.

"How is her size an advantage?"

"She can sneak around," said Jacin. "Fit in little spaces that you wouldn't be able to."

Ran's eyes trailed over Cress's blue jacket. "You're right, she can infiltrate the other side. When the time is right, we will send Cress over there to take down the last standing team member."

"Can we not be so dramatic?" said Cinder, picking at a thread that had come loose in her glove. "This isn't some spy mission. It'll be over in like, ten minutes."

"Whatever," said Ran. "We're winning this."

Cinder came over to stand by Cress, though, and nudged her with her elbow. She didn't say anything, but Cress felt supported anyway.

Rolling out her shoulders, which she realized had been scrunched up close to her neck throughout the entire conversation, Cress tried to relax. Cinder wasn't taking this seriously either. And she was right: it would be over in probably ten minutes and no one would talk about it for the rest of the day. She could view it as a win-win situation whether they lost or won against Thorne's team. If she won, then she would be part of the cool team. If Thorne won, then he was still her cool boyfriend.

After a minute of thinking about it, Cress realized that she was thinking herself into circles.

A new hand landed on her shoulder. Cress looked up, startled, to see that it was Jacin. She tried to seem nonchalant. "H-hi," she said, rubbing her arms quickly as if to demonstrate that the stutter was from the cold and not nerves.

"Can we talk for a minute, Cress?" said Jacin, jerking his chin away from the group.

"Um, I'm not—" said Cress. What could Jacin possibly want to talk about? She hadn't planned any alone time with him at all for the whole weekend, and so far—besides the mistletoe incident—she had done a great job avoiding him. "I think we should probably stick close to the group, don't you think? If we want to win?"

Jacin smiled, but it was slightly condescending in Cress's opinion. "It's just a dumb snowball fight, Cress. I really need to talk to you."

"Need?"

"Yes," said Jacin, gently pushing her forward with his hand that was burning a hole into her snow jacket. She was no longer used to Jacin touching her at all. It had been a relief to see that he had at least returned her hug yesterday morning.

"Wait a minute," said Ran. He looked at Jacin and Cress with derision. "Where do you think you're going? We're not done discussing our strategy."

If Cress thought that Jacin had a condescending look for her, then she was sorely mistaken. The look he shot Ran probably could have squashed him. Jacin was always good at putting people in their place, and she supposed that his slate gray eyes helped him look even colder than he intended. Cress had never been on the receiving end of one of his glares, though.

"Not to worry," said Jacin with a tone that was clearly controlled but frosty, "Cress and I have our own strategy. We're going to start building a snow fort for protection over there." He jerked his chin again and then pulled Cress along with him without another word.

Cress could hear Ran yelling for them to come back, but her feet kept marching, marching, marching. Jacin had control of the situation like he always did.

When they were about fifteen feet away, Jacin stopped and sank to his knees. He began grabbing snow with his arms and piling it together in front of him. "Here, add to this." He gestured at his pile.

Cress sat down too, but she folded her knees and only grabbed for the snow directly around her. If Jacin wanted to build a snow fort then he could be the one expending all of the energy. She had to save hers for the inevitable running away and ducking for cover that was soon to occur. "You said you needed to talk to me?"

She prepared herself to hear another lecture about Thorne. Out of anyone in her family, Winter and Jacin were the two people she wanted to convince the most that she was happy. After what Winter had told her, she knew Jacin didn't care for Thorne. This was probably the most important conversation that she would have all weekend. If he had ever suspected anything, then she would put those doubts to rest now. And she had the physical presence of a gorgeous, funny, and charming boyfriend not far away to back her up if she needed it.

"Scarlet talked to me after breakfast." Jacin scratched at his eye while Cress tried to reprogram her thoughts. Scarlet had nothing to do with anything. "She said I was being a douche," he continued.

"I—I'm not sure what you're talking about," said Cress, totally caught off guard.

"The mistletoe. She said...well, she said I was being a douche. I told her you know me but she insisted that I talk to you anyways and apologize. When I said that Levana was disgusting for even suggesting that we kiss, I didn't mean that _you_ were disgusting. You know that, right?" He drew away from the small wall he had already built with his hands and stared at her with his eyes. There was no condescension this time, only questioning.

She had to look away. "Of course."

"I mean, Levana is always trying to stir up trouble. She just wanted us to kiss because you're my future sister-in-law."

Cress tried to fumble for the right words and found herself bawling up some snow in her fist. "I know," she said as casually as possible. "Don't worry, it's not like I want to kiss you either. Gross."

Jacin laughed and gave her a small slug on the shoulder before returning to his wall of snow. "I knew Scarlet was being paranoid. But I wouldn't want you to think what she thought either way. You know you're my number two girl, right Cress? Second only to Winter."

If Cress could've done anything in that moment and not be judged, she wasn't sure if she would have chosen flopping into the snow face first, screaming at the top of her lungs, or flinging snow into Jacin's handsome face. But Cress couldn't do what she wanted, so she merely shrugged.

"And now you're going to be my sister-in-law, so it's even more important that we don't have any misunderstandings between us," said Jacin. "I told Scarlet, but she insisted."

"It's fine."

Jacin brightened considerably. "Great. And now, with that aside, let's make this the best snow fort ever and take down Winter and Carswell."

"I thought you said it was just dumb snowball fight."

He chuckled. "Right on, Shortcake."

Cress didn't say anything. She shifted onto her knees and started to add as much snow as possible to the wall. As she did, she realized that she was basically helping Jacin cocoon himself into a small space for the two of them. A space that she would want to get out of as soon as it was made.

She tried to make sure there was always at least a foot between them.

"You know," said Jacin after a few minutes of silence, "Winter said I shouldn't say anything, but she really does miss you."

Cress really didn't need Jacin speaking for Winter or even Jacin speaking to her at all.

"Carswell said you were in the infatuation stage, but might be more available after the new year. I know Winter would love to have you guys over. She's already talked about regular dinners."

"She hasn't said anything to me."

"I think she's waiting for you to suggest it. You've been so busy the last few months that I don't think she wants to get in your way."

The flopping-in-the-snow-face-first option was looking a lot more plausible to Cress. She wished that she could tell Jacin that him speaking for Winter and trying to interfere with their relationship was one of the many things that made her not want to have regular dinners with them anymore. She knew Jacin had a problem with Thorne, too, and she wished that he would just come out and say it.

Who was she kidding? She wished that Jacin would come out and say that _he_ was the one who missed her. That _he_ had noticed her absence, not just Winter, and that he also wanted Cress to come to dinners. But lately, Jacin always spoke as if Winter's thoughts replaced his own.

"I'll work it out with my sister," she said.

"Great."

"I should go see what the others are doing." Cress got up, wobbling at first when she took a step back into the untouched snow.

Jacin stayed put. "Okay, but when the fight starts, come back over here. We'll take them down."

Cress hurried away from Jacin as quickly as she could. A traitorous tear was already beginning to form in her right eye and she refused to let Jacin see. She ran past her team and past Thorne's team towards the house. "I just need to go to the bathroom!" she called.

"Cress! Wait up!"

Cress didn't stop when she heard Thorne's voice. She was _fine_. She just needed to recollect herself. Her tears were staying put if it was the last thing she did.

She reached the glass door that led back inside the house right as he caught up with her. He didn't say anything as she turned to him with a sigh, but he picked her up off her feet in a bear hug. She found herself hugging him back.

"You know," he said, "I don't usually cross enemy lines, but you're one girl I'm willing to make an exception for." He grinned sideways, his dimple acting almost like a wink. Then he put her down and his expression turned more serious. "I saw Jacin drag you off. Need me to go beat him up?"

Cress cracked a small smile. "No."

Thorne's dimple returned. "No? Did he… _you know_ …?"

Cress's smile faded just as quickly as it had come. So did Thorne's. "Aces, Cress. Sorry."

"It's okay," she said. "I've tried to ignore him the whole weekend and basically the last couple months of my life, but I eventually had to speak with him again sometime, right? After all, as he likes to point out, he's going to be my brother-in-law soon."

"You want to switch teams? I know Ran is kind of demanding but I really don't think anyone can keep you from being on my team." His eyes twinkled. "Come hide in my snow fort, Cress," he drawled. "I'll show you a good time."

Cress giggled. If only she could hire Thorne for all of her family events. He certainly was good at distracting her from reality. "It's okay. I should get back there. If anything, Jacin just convinced me that I made the right choice in hiring you." Cress dropped her voice, trying to imitate Thorne's characteristic drawl. "You're exactly the man candy that I need."

Thorne's mouth literally dropped open in shock, which made Cress giggle even more from the ridiculous sentence she'd just heard herself say. "Are you using my lines, sweetheart? Because I'm pretty sure there's something about man candy in my ad. There's copyright there."

"Maybe I stole it," said Cress, keeping the drawl.

Thorne lunged for her, his arms wrapping around her waist, and before she knew it, she had been tackled into the snow. Thorne's body was pressed against hers, and his arms pinned hers above her head. He grinned wickedly. "We can't have that, can we now? Thieves are despicable."

"What are you going to do about it?"

Thorne smirked. He bent his face a little closer, until his rosy nose almost touched hers. "You're going to shriek, and then we are going to pretend to make out in the snow."

Cress paused. She had temporarily forgotten that they were always, always trying to sell their relationship. Her cheeks turned red nonetheless, and it had absolutely nothing to do with the cold weather. "Are you sure we should make out? That's not really me. As I said in the car, I'm not big on PDA."

"That's fine," he said, not drawing away at all. "We can just make it a few passionate kisses. Follow my lead."

He tickled her and she shrieked, just as he had commanded before, but it was not a fake shriek at all. Thorne rolled them over, bringing Cress on top of him, but still holding onto her hands. She wrestled herself free, but Thorne flipped them again, and this time when he landed on top of her he planted his hands right above her head, so his shoulders and arms were blocking their faces. He leaned down and nuzzled his cold cheek against hers. Cress's neck tickled from his breath.

"There," he whispered. "All done." He pressed his lips against her neck once and then sat back on his heels, looking mighty proud of himself.

Cress, a little flustered from rolling and nuzzling and feeling his body's warmth wrapped around her, sat up breathlessly.

"Ready to play?" he asked.

"Not really," she admitted. "But I don't think I'll ever be ready."

As they trudged back through the snow, Thorne rattled off a few ideas about how Cress could attack him during the game and he would fake getting hit, or he could simply put all of his energy into hitting everyone else except Cress. She liked the latter idea better.

"There they are," said Ze'ev, raising an eyebrow at the two of them.

"Ready to play, Crescent?" said Ran, holding an over-sized snowball in his hand.

"Always," said Cress quickly, slipping out of Thorne's grasp and re-joining her team. Thorne jogged back over to his side as well.

"Come on, Cress!" called Jacin, who was behind his mini fort with Cinder. Liam sat awkwardly near them.

Well, at least she wouldn't have to be in the fort alone with Jacin. Maybe Ze'ev and Ran could take care of the offensive and the three of them could just sit in the fort and watch the festivities.

She knew she would never have such luck, but a girl could always dream.

Considering that her dreams usually never came true, Cress began to make some snowballs. She packed them down hard, as Ze'ev had taught her when they were younger. She always thought they were more like ice balls rather than snowballs, and she had gotten her own fair share of bruises to prove that theory. Luckily for her, Ran was on her team, which meant that she would escape his ice missiles.

Snowballs and cries of victory filled the air.

Cress dodged one close one, then another. She threw a snowball with all her might at the other team but it didn't even make it over the imaginary line that separated them.

"Watch out!" said Jacin. He barreled into her, knocking her down behind the small wall of his fort. His blond hair brushed her neck and he got up quickly, already throwing another snowball and then diving again to barely escape a hit.

Cress peered over the wall. Her eyes snagged on Thorne, who was laughing and dodging hits. One of Jacin's throws hit Thorne in the boot. Jacin let out a whoop. Thorne, however, recovered quickly, grabbing a pre-made snowball from his team's pile and chucking it back at Jacin.

Cress gasped as it nearly hit Jacin in the face. "Sorry, man!" said Thorne.

Kai let out a war cry and charged at Cinder. She pelted him with snowballs until she was out, then tried to run in the other direction, tripped, and toppled into the snow. Kai, now laughing hysterically, tumbled on top of her. Cress had to look away because they began their own makeout session in the snow, and _they_ definitely weren't faking.

Ran was doing damage, pelting Scarlet in the back before she could get back in a hit. Ze'ev growled and hit Ran in the groin with a snowball, making him yell out in pain. "Traitor!"

Winter was sitting on the other side, waving at Jacin, who was still exchanging snowballs with Thorne. No one was even paying any attention to her, let alone aiming for her.

Iko and Liam had started their own fight, and from the looks of it, Liam was letting Iko win.

Cress glanced down at the snowballs she had made. There were three left.

She should try to hit Thorne before everyone realized that she wasn't participating at all.

Determined, she crawled out from the fort and ran to the right, avoiding the middle of the action. Thorne was gathering snow now, oblivious to her approaching. Winter saw her, though, and called out, "Watch out!"

Thorne jerked his head up, spotted Cress, and grinned. He threw a snowball at her, and it hit her stomach with a bit too much force, knocking the wind out of her. She fell into the snow, losing her snowballs.

"Sorry, sweetheart," said Thorne. She caught her breath and jumped up, grabbing her two snowballs and willing herself to run away before he could hit her again. Halfway back to her team, she stopped, turned, and ran back towards him. _She was fun. She was interesting. She had a boyfriend who would make her look good_.

Only about ten feet away from him now, Cress gripped her snowball tighter and wound up her arm.

"Get him, Cress!" yelled Jacin.

A snowball hit Thorne in the leg, distracting him for a second before he held up his empty hands in surrender at Cress. "Sweetheart, can't we talk about this—"

Cress launched the snowball as hard as she could, hitting one of Thorne's outstretched hands.

She wasn't sure which was louder: her elated cheer or his cry of agony.

Thorne fell to his knees, cursing and clutching the hand she had hit.

All the blood drained from Cress's face. "Stop the game! Stop the game!" she cried, running over to him.

His face was twisted with pain. "Nice shot."

"Oh my stars! Oh my stars! Are you okay?"

"Not sure," he said, wincing. "I think I heard something snap. Felt like getting hit by a rock."

"I'm so sorry," said Cress, on the verge of tears. "I'm so sorry."

"Can we just…go inside?" he said.

"You guys okay?" said someone, but Cress wasn't paying attention. She could only watch Thorne's _very real_ expression of pain.

"We have to get him inside!" said Cress, trying to help Thorne to his feet. "We have to get my dad!"

The rest of them parted for Cress and Thorne, but he insisted on walking on his own when she attempted to help him. "My legs aren't broken, Cress."

"I'm sorry," was all she could reply.

Cress found her dad as soon as they got inside, not even bothering to take off her snow-soaked boots. He was sitting in the living room with the rest of the adults, and looked a little shocked at Cress's state of panic. "Carswell's hurt! Dad, you have to come quickly!"

Frowning, her dad got up and walked with her back to the mudroom. Thorne was in there, gingerly taking off his glove with a grimace.

"Let my dad see," said Cress. "He's a doctor."

"Aren't you the wrong kind of doctor for this?" said Thorne dryly. He held out his hand anyway and hissed when Cress's dad touched it.

"Can you move your wrist?" said her dad.

Thorne nodded. "It's my fingers. These two." He pointed at his forefinger and middle finger.

"They're already swelling," said her dad, making Cress gasp when she got a good look. Beyond swelling, at least one of them looked bent at an awkward angle.

"I'm so sorry, Carswell," said Cress again, covering her mouth.

"I think you'll need an X-Ray," said her dad, sighing. "Come on, I'll drive you."

"No!" said Cress. "It's my fault. I'll take him."

"It's terrible driving conditions out there, Cress. I'm not letting either of you drive. The ER is at least twenty miles away."

"The ER?" said Cress. "Is it that bad?"

Her dad rested his hand on her shoulder. "Crescent, it's Christmas and it's a Sunday. The ER is the only option."

"But…"

She trailed off when she saw the look on Thorne's face. "Okay, then I'm coming too."

"You better be," said Thorne.

"Let me just go tell Rosemary where we're headed," said her dad. "Cress, go get your boyfriend an icepack."


	15. Chapter 15

Yesterday, driving in the car with Sage had been one of Thorne's goals. Today, he wanted to be in the car with anyone but Sage. He had gotten enough personal time with him in the hot tub.

Sage drove silently, which was both a good and bad thing. Good, because Thorne was not in the mood for making small talk with strangers when his fingers felt like they wanted to fall off. Bad, because it gave him the time to think about how his fingers felt like they wanted to fall off.

He also was not sure who was more upset: him or Cress. Though she was wearing her thick, blue, winter coat, she was visibly shaking next to him in the backseat of the car. The businessman inside of him told him to comfort her, but the regular guy inside of him told him that it was he who needed some tender, loving care at the moment. She seemed to understand that struggle, and was letting him lean ever so slightly against her with his good side.

This was not how he had planned his Christmas Day.

Thorne slumped a little more heavily against Cress, who brought her hand across her chest to clutch his arm. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, rubbing her thumb against his sleeve.

Thorne didn't say anything. He wanted to tell her that it wasn't her fault, because that was the right thing to say, and it would certainly make her feel better. But it kind of _was_ her fault. Granted, he had set her up for the shot by raising his arms, but did he know that she was going to hit him _that_ hard?

"Don't worry about it," he said. Nothing that either of them could say would change the current situation.

At his words, Cress rested her head against his shoulder with a small sigh. For a brief moment, Thorne envisioned what Sage must be seeing in the rearview mirror—his daughter and her boyfriend, both leaning into each other for comfort during a rough moment.

At any other time, he would have smirked.

Instead, he closed his eyes and let his head fall back against the seat. He didn't want to watch the way the snow was coming down and covering the back country roads. With the speed that Sage was driving, they would never arrive at the hospital.

* * *

Sage stopped the car in the emergency loop. Cress jumped out and held the door open for Thorne, and he could see her breath condensate into uneven wisps even though it was only midday.

As soon as he had straightened himself up out of the car, she grabbed onto his arm as if he were an old lady trying to cross the street. "I've got you," she said. "We're almost there."

"Cress," he said, trying to keep his voice as even as possible, "as I said back in the house, my legs aren't broken. If you keep holding me like that, they're going to think I'm having a heart attack."

"That's a good thing," said Sage from the car. "Try to act as hurt as possible. It's Christmas Day. The more problematic your situation, the earlier you will get seen."

"I got it, Dad," said Cress with a huff. She shut the door behind them and Sage drove off to park the car.

They walked into the Emergency Room, which was indeed packed full of people. Thorne hadn't realized that this many people even lived in this part of Minnesota, let alone would need emergency services on Christmas Day. Cress did not let go of him, and together they reached the registration desk. Thorne didn't try to hide his wince.

When he had received his wristband and a beeper, they took a seat in the corner of the crowded room by the overly decorated Christmas tree. Cress tried to help him out of his coat, but Thorne shrugged her off. Getting his coat on without hitting his hand had been challenging enough, and he didn't need Cress accidentally bumping into it.

To his dismay, Sage arrived right as a triage nurse called Thorne's name. She accompanied the three of them to a small room.

Thorne reluctantly gave his name and birthdate, and was relieved that no one asked for his address. He wasn't sure how he could tell Sage politely to go away if the nurse did ask. His address was hidden on purpose; only the girls who signed the confidentiality agreement were meant to have that information. He didn't want anyone else who just happened on his website to be able to find him. The last thing that he needed was a disgruntled father knowing where he lived after he broke up with his daughter.

The nurse took his blood pressure and temperature, then asked him what happened.

Thorne gave her a tight-lipped smile. "My girlfriend hit me in the hand with a snowball. I think my fingers are broken."

Cress let out a little squeak from where she stood next to her dad.

"What's your pain level on a scale of 1 to 10?" asked the nurse, frowning.

"I'm in the ER, aren't I?"

"I still need to record a number."

Thorne looked down at his throbbing hand. "11."

The nurse made a few notes in her computer and then regarded Cress and her dad. "I'm going to need some time alone with Mr. Thorne. Could you wait in the waiting room for us?"

"Of course," said Sage.

Cress's eyes widened. "Are you going to be okay, Carswell? I can wait with you if you want."

"This will only take a few minutes," said the nurse. "We're not ready for him to go back yet so he'll be joining you in the waiting room again."

"Okay," said Cress when Thorne nodded at her.

When they had shut the door behind him, the nurse also excused herself and asked him to wait for her return. She was only gone about five minutes, during which time Thorne began to get irritated about having to wait. The nurse could at least have given him an ice pack or some painkillers in the meantime.

She returned with another woman who was not wearing scrubs. "Hello, Mr. Thorne," she said, taking a seat in front of him. "I'd like to ask you a few questions if that's okay."

"Anything to get this show on the road." He held up his hand with a grimace.

"Have you ever felt afraid of or threatened by your girlfriend?"

A beat.

"What?"

"This is a safe space, Mr. Thorne. Have you ever felt afraid of or threatened by your girlfriend?"

"I heard you the first time," said Thorne. "I'm not sure I'm following your line of questioning. I'd really just like to get an x-ray, some painkillers, and go home to enjoy Christmas dinner."

"You indicated to our triage nurse that your girlfriend hit you in the hand with a snowball. Has she ever hit you before?"

Thorne nearly laughed. "No."

"And you feel safe?"

If only he could tell the woman that Cress had hired him to be her boyfriend for the weekend. "Absolutely."

The woman frowned and studied him closely for a few seconds. Then she handed him a pamphlet and told him that help was available should he ever need it. The pamphlet read: _Domestic Violence – It's Not Your Fault._

He scoffed and gave her the pamphlet back. "My girlfriend and I are perfectly happy, but thanks."

"Okay, dear," said the lady, and then gestured to the door. "You can go back to the waiting room now. A nurse will come get you when a room becomes available for you."

"Can I at least have some ice?" he asked.

"Unfortunately we're not authorized to give you anything until you're seen by a doctor," said the other woman, the nurse.

"Well, Merry Christmas to you too," said Thorne. He grumbled some more as he left the triage room and searched for Cress and her dad in the waiting room, who were no longer next to the Christmas tree.

He found them near the TV. There were two empty spots next to both her father and Cress. On Sage's side, a woman lay sleeping. On Cress's side, a woman sat with her screamy baby.

Very reluctantly, he took a seat next to Cress. The baby was beyond irritating, but it was better than sitting next to Sage. Plus, it wouldn't make much sense for a boyfriend not to want to sit next to his girl in the hospital.

_Ugh._

He could not believe this was happening. His all-expenses-paid Christmas holiday had otherwise been going off without a hitch. Where was his never-ending luck when he needed it?

"How are you feeling, Carswell?" asked Sage.

Thorne slumped into the chair, cradling his injured hand with his good one. He could barely distinguish between his middle and pointer fingers anymore because they were so swollen. "Shitty," he said, then groaned when he realized what he'd said. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"That's okay," said Cress, patting him on the knee. "Dad understands what it's like when people are in pain. Right, Dad?"

"Well, this is nothing compared to a woman in labor, of course, but…"

 _"Dad."_ Cress said it with a warning in her voice.

Sage cleared his throat. "Yes, I understand." He leaned forward and pushed his spectacles up his nose. "Did you know that researchers once did a study on the effect of swearing on pain tolerance?"

"No," said Cress. She squeezed his knee ever so slightly so that no one but the two of them noticed. It was like the way that he did to her sometimes—to reassure her. "What was the effect?"

Sage brightened considerably. "In the study, they asked the subjects to submerge their hands in a bucket of ice water. Some groups were allowed to swear, and others were not. Those that swore were able to keep their hands in the water up to 37% longer than those who did not."

Thorne cursed loudly, making Cress jump. "Well, didn't work for me."

That comment made Cress giggle, which, despite his pain, made Thorne perk up a little. Cress was always more fun to be around when she was calm and not overthinking things. And at the moment, perhaps without realizing it, she had taken to rubbing her thumb back and forth absentmindedly on the side of his knee. It was actually somewhat soothing.

The baby next to him let out a screech. This, apparently, made Sage feel like he had the right to ask: "So, what are your thoughts on children, Carswell?"

Cress withdrew her hand, and Thorne tried to hide his irritation. "They're a bundle of joy."

Cress let out a sudden burst of laughter, as if she had snorted a drink up her nose.

The baby shrieked and shrieked.

Cress's laughter grew and grew until she couldn't control herself anymore and was red-faced and clutching her side. "Dad," she said between laughs, "Cars—Carswell and I are—going to— _hahaha_ —have twins. A boy. Haha. And a girl. C-C-Carswell and—and—C-Cress, Juniors. Hahaha."

Thorne had started smiling as Cress choked out her words, but by the time she dissolved into laughter again, he was sitting there in disbelief, unable to do anything but raise his eyebrow helplessly at his fake girlfriend. He had continually tried to coax out a relaxed, carefree Cress throughout the weekend, but the one next to him right now seemed a little _too_ carefree.

In fact, she looked like she was drunk.

Regardless, the look on Sage's face as his daughter lost it momentarily made him forget the pain in his fingers and the screaming baby.

"That's right," said Thorne, plastering on a grin, "we've even been to one of those baby websites where you can merge your faces together to see what your future children will look like. Carswell Junior looks particularly handsome, if I do say so myself."

Cress laughed some more, then drew in a long, steadying breath. She took her hand and placed it on her dad's knee this time. "Dad, enough already. We're at the hospital and it's Christmas. Carswell doesn't need Interrogation 101—at least not until he's under the influence of drugs." Her shoulders shook as she silently laughed again.

Her dad harrumphed. "I was just trying to make conversation. You don't have to mock me."

Cress sighed. "Sorry, Dad." She got on her knees on the chair and pushed herself up until her face was at the same height as Thorne's. He eyed her skeptically, as if she might burst into another random fit of laughter, but she merely leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks for putting up with my dad, Carswell."

"I can hear you," said Sage.

"I know," said Cress, but she was beaming at Thorne, her eyes bright and blue. It was hard not to beam back, when she was looking at him that way.

The beeper buzzed loudly in Thorne's lap, drawing their attention away from each other. As they approached the nurse, who was waiting for them by the registration desk, Thorne managed to whisper, "Way to go! Standing up to your dad like that."

Cress shrugged. "You deserve a break."

"I'm sorry," said the nurse, looking frazzled, "only one of you may accompany the patient."

Cress glanced back at her dad, who let out a grunt. "I'll be here waiting then, I suppose," he said. "I have my cell phone on if you need anything, Cress."

"There's no reception in the back," said the nurse.

"I'm sure we won't be long, Dad," said Cress. "Maybe you can go to the cafeteria and get something to eat. It's lunch time, after all."

He nodded and wished Thorne good luck, then walked away. Cress and Thorne followed the nurse through the automatic doors into the patient corridors.

Thorne let out an audible sigh of relief.

Finally, it was just him and Cress. Finally, he could stop pretending.


	16. Chapter 16

The nurse led them through about six different corridors, and Thorne started to feel slightly light-headed as he took in the smell of hospital and disinfectant. He puffed out his chest though, willing himself to continue onward undeterred. Soon he would lay down on a hospital bed, get a few X-Rays, get some pain-killers, and then get the aces out of here.

He fixed his attention on the nurse in front of him, whose hips he decided would look incredibly sexy in a different set of pants. She wasn't quite as attractive as Winter, but enough so that the two of them would surely make each other jealous.

Catching his train of thought, he glanced quickly at Cress to make sure she hadn't caught him staring. It was one thing to stop pretending that he was madly in love with Cress, it was another to make his client realize that he was checking out other women while he was being hired to make said client feel special.

That was, after all, how he viewed his job. To him it was not as much about being a fake boyfriend, fake date, fake fiancé, or fake husband (that usually only happened for high school reunions). These women, somewhere along the way, had become neglected—by ex-lovers, family, friends, or even themselves. It was his job to make them feel special again.

Cress was _definitely_ neglected. He didn't have all the pieces figured out yet, but he also knew that as much as she was neglected, she was also special and deserved to know that. She was different than many of the girls he had taken out on dates before, who usually dragged him along for pure, petty gain. When she wasn't trying to impress anyone, Cress was kind and sweet and smart. A bit awkward, sure—okay, _a lot_ —but sometimes being awkward could be endearing.

He had finally made a bit of a breakthrough with her and gotten her to loosen up around him, so he didn't want to risk her seeing him stare at any other booty but hers this weekend. Women like Cress would take that sort of thing the wrong way. It wasn't like he wanted to do anything with the nurse, anyway. He just appreciated attractive women. He was a connoisseur, of sorts.

And being a connoisseur, it was his job to notice that Cress was attractive too. It was on a different level than Winter or this nurse. Where the two of them were _hot_ , Cress was more along the lines of _pretty cute_. What Cress—and many other women—didn't understand was that _pretty cute_ was still _cute_.

Especially when she pretended to be in love with him. Or when she was lying across from him in bed, flustered at the way he was describing all the hypothetical things he would do to her.

He smothered the small smirk that began to appear on his mouth.

"Here we are," said the nurse, stepping into a brightly-lit room. She pulled back a curtain to reveal a lone hospital bed sitting in the midst of medical equipment. It did not smell any better in this room than it had in the corridor.

Thorne sat on the bed, which was unfortunately upright, so it felt like sitting in a weird, stiff chair with a terrible headrest. Cress reached behind him to adjust his pillow, but he shrugged her away.

"My name is Darla and I am one of the nurses here," she said, as if it wasn't obvious that she was a nurse named Darla from the way her name tag said DARLA, RN. She put the blood pressure cuff on his good arm.

He wrinkled his nose. "The other nurse already got my blood pressure. 106 over 80. I'm good."

She frowned at him, and he thought she was not that attractive in that moment. "Standard procedure, Mr. Thorne."

The cuff squeezed and squeezed until it had finished, and the woman recorded his new pressure, 110 over 79. She took his temperature, which was slightly high, apparently.

"Okay," she said, "let's go over what happened."

"I already told the other nurse that too."

When she frowned at him again, he launched into the heroic tale of how his girlfriend pummeled him with a snowball.

"Okay," said the nurse, "the doctor will be in with you shortly." She left the blood pressure cuff on him.

"But—" said Thorne as she left, pulling the curtain behind her.

Cress wrung her hands. "So…"

"Can you help me lay down?" said Thorne. "This bed is killing my back."

She disappeared behind him, and suddenly, the back of the bed collapsed down. Cress swore as he almost shot backward, and he had to let out a laugh.

He let her adjust his pillow for him this time, hoping it made her feel useful. Besides, it was kind of nice to have someone take care of him.

Cress took a seat in one of the guest chairs. "Do you want me to turn on the TV for you?"

He shook his head and closed his eyes. His hand was _throbbing_.

"Have you ever been in the hospital before?" she asked.

"Once, when I was sixteen. I was visiting my dad, though. I don't like hospitals."

"What happened to—"

The curtain was pulled back again. A man with a cart wheeled in, and for a second, Thorne thought he was the doctor. He pulled out a scanner and asked for Thorne's wristband. After scanning it, he said, "I'm from registration. Can I see your insurance card, please?"

Next to him, Cress let out a small squeak. He raised one eyebrow at her, wondering what about insurance was so scandalous, and made to reach automatically for his wallet, then stopped. He would never put his injured fingers in there. He attempted to reach across his body and over his back to reach his right back pocket, but could not do it. "Um, Cress, a little help here?"

She practically jumped up from her chair and walked around the bed and under the chord connected to his blood pressure cuff, which decided in that moment to take another reading. As the cuff squeezed his arm, he rolled slightly on the left so Cress could easily access his butt. Sure she was blushing as she reached in like lightning and pulled out his wallet, he didn't bother suppressing a grin.

Cress dropped the wallet on his lap quickly as he rolled back, but he shook his head at her. "I can only use one hand, sweetheart. You can give him my information."

"I'll need the insurance card and the driver's license while you're at it," said the man.

Cress picked his wallet back up just as quickly and opened it up with shaky fingers. She searched through the various cards, until she found his insurance card, and for some reason, looked visibly relieved. She handed it to the man with the cart and went to pull out his license. Thorne saw her pause when she saw his picture, and he wondered what she was thinking when her eyebrows softened just a bit. She gave it to the man as well.

"And how will you be taking care of your co-pay?" asked the man.

"Oh!" said Cress, dropping the wallet on him again. It hit his thigh with a small thump. "I've got it!"

Thorne watched curiously as she scrambled to get back around the bed to reach her purse. "Cress, what are you doing? My credit card is in my wallet."

She shot him a look, to which he raised his eyebrow questioningly. She widened her eyes at him, as if he were gossiping about someone and that person had just appeared directly behind him. He glanced over his shoulder on instinct, then back at her. "Yeah. Can't read your hidden signs. Get my credit card."

Cress, with her credit card in hand, sighed heavily. "You said…for this weekend…" She looked at the ceiling, at the floor, then somewhere around the vicinity of his chin. Then she came close to the bed, cupped her hand around his ear, and whispered, "I'm supposed to pay for everything this weekend, remember?"

It was hard not to smile. Cress wanted to pay his medical bills too? It was so considerate, and furthermore tempting. He supposed he could take advantage of her kindness, but he placed his good hand lightly on her waist. "Go get my credit card, Cress."

Cress threw her arms around him and kissed him.

He blinked in surprise, but she did not linger, and her cheeks were burning red as she pulled away. "Thank you," she whispered.

The man cleared his throat. "If you'll simply provide the cards, I can be on my way."

"Oh," said Cress, a genuine smile on her face despite her clear embarrassment, "here you go." She reached across him, provided the credit card, and then sat on the chair. She continued to smile, and Thorne tilted his head to study her.

She certainly wasn't smiling because she had kissed him, but he would have loved to know what was going on in her mind at that moment.

"Thank you, Mr. Thorne," said the man. "If you'll just sign here."

As soon as the man had left, Thorne studied Cress for another minute. "What's up with you?"

"Hmm? Oh, nothing," she said, shrugging.

"Why do you do that?"

"What?"

"Pretend like you have nothing to say."

"I'm not."

"Come on. It's just you and me. What are you thinking?"

She shrugged. "You're just different than I thought. In a good way."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh." When she didn't say anything else, he said, "You kissed me just now. Is it because the lighting in here makes me look extra dreamy?"

She blushed and looked at her feet. "I'm so sorry. It came out naturally when I wanted to thank you. I think I'm still trying to shed the illusion of us being a couple."

"Don't worry. Pecks are fine, remember?"

"Right."

"Just relax, Cress. I have a feeling we're going to be here a while."

The curtain was pulled open again by a woman in scrubs, however, and Thorne and Cress both looked up in surprise. "My name is Dr. Neils," she said officially. "Let's see what we have here."

Thorne gingerly held out his hand, explaining once again what had happened. She asked him if he remembered at what angle it had hit, and if there had been any injury to his arm as well. She pressed and prodded and he tried not to yell out.

"Let's get some X-Rays done on this," she said. "It's likely you have a fracture."

"You think?" said Thorne dryly.

"Radiology will take you back for X-Rays. In the meantime, let's get you started on some Vicodin. With the swelling of those fingers you're going to need it."

Thorne let his shoulders drop in relief. "Thank you, Dr. Neils. You're my hero."

She smiled briefly at him, and then Darla came back into the room. "Darla is going to get you started on the Vicodin. She will also bring you some ice for the swelling. Do you have any allergies to any medications, Mr. Thorne?"

"No."

"Wonderful. I'll check in with you after the X-Rays."

They both left, and Thorne smiled at Cress. "Everything is going exactly as I planned. I'll get my X-Rays, get my meds, probably some sort of splint, and we'll be home in time for lunch."

Cress glanced at the clock on the wall. "It's already 12:30."

"Are you hungry?"

She nodded. "My stomach is grumbling."

"Mine too. Why don't you go grab something to eat from the cafeteria while I'm getting my X-Rays, check in with your dad, and bring me something back."

"Unfortunately, that's not possible, Mr. Thorne," said Darla as she walked back into the room. In her one hand was a small plastic cup and in the other an ice pack. "You are not permitted to eat anything."

"Why not?"

She gave him the ice pack, which Thorne took gratefully.

"In case you need to have surgery. Anesthesia requires as much fasting as possible on short notice."

Thorne balked. "Why would I need surgery?"

"It depends on the kind of break. Your bones could be shattered or fragmented."

Thorne glanced at Cress, who looked worried again, then back at Darla. "Is that likely?"

Darla held the cup out to him. Inside was a small pill. "Drink this." She handed him another cup, slightly bigger, with a straw in it. When Thorne had taken the pill and chugged the water, Darla said, "I'm not the doctor, so I can't tell you how likely surgery is. Perhaps your bones are not even broken, Mr. Thorne."

Another person came in, this time a man. "I'm here to take the patient to radiology."

Thorne made to get up, but Darla put her hand on his shoulder. "Stay in the bed. It's equipped with wheels. David will bring you to radiology."

"My feet aren't broken," he said.

"We can't risk you falling on the way there."

He scoffed. "I would not fall."

"Hospital protocol, Mr. Thorne."

"Fine." He turned to Cress. "Go eat something while I'm gone."

"Okay," she said. "Good luck."

* * *

Cress sat eating a bag of pretzels when David and Darla wheeled Thorne back into the room. Though he'd had to wait about ten minutes for things to get started, the X-Rays had gone fairly quickly. They were much more painful than he'd ever admit to anyone, with all the forced stretching of his hands to get the right pictures, and he was glad that Cress had not gone along.

The Vicodin was starting to take effect, but unfortunately not so much in his fingers as in his head. It felt like it weighed a hundred pounds, and if he moved his head too suddenly, things spun a little. He was thankful to be lying down.

They closed the curtain behind him once Darla had re-attached the blood pressure cuff, and Thorne closed his eyes. He found the room spun even more when he did that.

"Are you okay?" said Cress. "You look like you're going to throw up."

"It could happen." He fixed his attention on a spot on the wall. "Ugh."

He heard Cress's chair scraping and assumed she was moving it, but he did not stop staring at the wall. This was like seasickness. He just had to keep his eyes on the horizon and everything would be fine. He startled when Cress put her hand on his arm, then relaxed again.

"Can I do anything to help? Or is it better if I just let you sleep?"

"No, no sleeping. Sleeping makes everything worse."

"Want a pretzel? I don't mind breaking hospital protocol."

If he didn't feel so crappy, he would have laughed. The thought of Cress breaking any rules was comical. Though he had wanted food fifteen minutes ago, he was not in the mood to hurl. "No."

"Do you want to tell me about yourself? Maybe…maybe if you talk it'll distract you."

He groaned. "You talk."

"Okay, I'll talk." She removed her hand and Thorne sort of wished she would put it back. "My life isn't really that interesting. I'm not a great talker. Not like you."

"Stop. I'm interested."

"Okay. I guess I'll tell you about Winter. She's why we're in this mess after all. No, that's mean. _I'm_ why we're in this mess. But I suppose it all starts with Winter. Tell me…tell me if I'm boring you."

"I'm interested, Cress." He was actually very interested. It had taken him long enough this weekend to get the truth out of Cress about her crush on Jacin and her jealousy of her sister. He had not expected that she would share any more backstory, since he had the necessary information to help her out this weekend.

"It took a long time for my parents to get pregnant with me. They tried really hard to have another child after me, but it just didn't happen. I think that's why my mom started drinking. When they found out they couldn't have another child for sure, she got really depressed. She's better now, but I don't think my dad will ever admit to himself how much she still self-medicates with alcohol. Winter and I have talked about it with both of them a few times, but they deny it."

"So…she's a functioning alcoholic?"

"Not exactly. But she drinks a lot, and she's always tipsy at any kind of party or celebration. It's embarrassing. Did you see how she threw herself at you when she met you on Friday?"

"I did notice that."

"Anyway, they adopted Winter when I was nine and she was ten. They got to have another child and I got the sibling that I always wanted. At first, it was really hard for Winter to adjust, understandably. She liked my parents, but she missed her friends at the orphanage. She had a vague recollection of her father, who had died when she was about five years old, but she didn't remember her mother, who died during childbirth."

"Sorry to hear that," said Thorne.

"When she got used to being around us, we grew into this great family really quickly. I looked up to Winter and we became fast friends. Though we had different rooms, I would sneak over into hers several nights a week and we would fall asleep together. I had a big sister and she taught me all the things that she had learned from her friends at the orphanage. I found out that my life had been kind of sheltered before I knew Winter."

"So what happened? Your cousins told me that you and Winter were very close in high school too." As he said it, Thorne shifted onto his side. The bed might as well have been made of waves. He moaned and tried to lay as still as possible.

Cress's hand returned, but this time she placed it on his cheek, then his forehead. After checking him for a fever, he supposed, she withdrew her hand again. "We definitely stayed close. It's never been about not loving Winter, because I do love Winter very much. I wish that we could be close again." She sighed. "Our family dynamic obviously changed when we adopted Winter. It was only as I got older that I really noticed how much. My parents were always really strict with me. Especially my dad. Rules didn't apply to Winter though. She didn't do crazy things, but they were often reckless."

She stopped, long enough that Thorne shifted his attention away from the wall momentarily to glance at her. "Go on."

"For example, she would wonder into a field in the middle of the night just because she wanted to pick flowers and make a fake princess crown or something like that. Winter did whatever she wanted, but she never got punished like I did if I broke the rules. I think it's because they wanted her to have everything since so much had been taken from her when she was little. Or they were just afraid to say no. I don't know."

"I got punished a lot as a kid," said Thorne. "My dad had really high expectations too. Maybe that's why I'm not intimidated by other people's dads now. I can't even tell you how many times I got grounded. I wasn't exactly the easiest child to deal with, though. I enjoyed mouthing off to my dad. I bet you were an angel."

"I tried to be what my parents wanted me to be," said Cress. "It wasn't that I was an angel or that I was a bad kid, it just felt like no matter what I did I was always in Winter's shadow. At first it was because she had just been adopted and we had to give her extra attention so that she would feel loved and fit in. Then she got made fun of at school because of her race. None of us could obviously understand what it was like being adopted _and_ a black kid in a white family. So my parents spent a lot of time and energy getting Winter connected with her heritage and making sure that the bullies stayed away. By the time we hit high school, though, Winter was probably the most beautiful _and_ popular girl in the whole school, so nobody dared make fun of her."

"I'll bet," said Thorne. He could definitely imagine all the high school guys going for Winter. "Was Winter a cheerleader?"

"No. She got into dancing. At first she did ballet, jazz, and tap, but she eventually settled on contemporary dancing. I danced too," she added.

"Is that how you got into theater?"

"Yes," she said. "But I was never that great at it. It was a passion that didn't really go anywhere."

"I thought you had a degree in theater."

"I do, but it's actually in Theater Technology."

"Like…AV club?"

"Sort of. I can explain it to you sometime when you're not dizzy."

He let out a short laugh, then asked, "What about you? Were you made fun of in school?"

There was some silence, then Cress said, "No, Winter would have never let them. Because that's who I was. Winter's sister."

"Ah." So _this_ was were Cress had become neglected.

"I was always _just_ Winter's sister," said Cress, sounding dejected and small. "Winter got me invited to a lot of the parties that she went to, but after a while I stopped going. Nobody really knew who I was or wanted to talk to me. They just knew that I was Winter's sister. And with my parents, any problems that I had got pushed to the side. There was always something more important going on with Winter. Sometimes...sometimes it felt like it wouldn't make a difference if I was still part of the family. I know that's not true, but it didn't help that Winter usually outshone me in everything. The only thing I was better at was getting good grades. That's why my parents are extremely disappointed that I don't have a good job right now. They think I messed up my life by choosing a theater degree."

"You work at a library right now, right?"

"Yes. A minimum wage library circulation desk job. I'm really someone to be proud of, huh?"

"But you just graduated."

"Back in May."

"At least you're not an escort."

Cress coughed. "No, but I hired one." Then, very quickly, she added: "I'm sorry. I don't mean that you don't have an honorable job."

Thorne wanted to roll his eyes, but he probably would have thrown up, so he continued to stare at the wall. "We both know it's not an honorable job."

"Why…why did you start doing it then?"

He considered not telling her, but there was something about Cress that made him want to share. She had signed a confidentiality agreement, anyway. "I got sick of not having any money. My dad cut me off after I decided not to go into the military like him. College is expensive and I dropped out after a few semesters. Not like I enjoyed going to class, anyway. Now I do something where I get to decide how things are run, and it pays really well."

"Your dad cut you off?"

"Just financially. I cut myself off from anything else connected to them since then."

Cress's hand found its way to his uninjured hand. She squeezed it ever so slightly. "You don't speak to your parents at all?"

"I usually call my mom at Christmas and on her birthday."

"Wow. See, this is why I shouldn't even be complaining. My parents love me, even if they don't really know how to show it, and Winter didn't even have a family until she was ten years old. My life is fine."

He squeezed Cress's hand back. "If your life is fine, then why are you so unhappy?"

"I…I think I hit a breaking point. I went to UM just like Winter, but it's such a big university and she was a year ahead of me so people finally got to know me as _Cress_ , instead of just Winter's sister. I was happy to have my own identity for once. Then, with Jacin…" She trailed off and let go of his hand again. "Well, it proved that I really _am_ just Winter's sister after all."

"You're not."

"We both know that if you had been the guy who I'd met in the library, you would've picked Winter too."

Thorne stayed silent for a moment. "I would never be in a library to begin with."

Cress laughed. "How's your hand?"

"Killing me."

"How's the nausea?"

"As strong as ever."

"I'm sorry. I wish I could make it better."

"So, Winter obviously doesn't know that you have a crush on Jacin."

"Had," said Cress sharply.

"You act like you're still in love with him."

Cress didn't say anything for longer than usual. He was about to prod her for more information when she spoke up again. "But no, Winter doesn't know. Neither does my family. I don't feel like I'm really allowed to be upset about anything. So my big sister is incredible. I should be happy for her, instead of jealous all the time. It's not her fault I'm not like her."

He was not often jealous, but Thorne did understand what it was like to be totally present in a room full of family and still feel completely invisible. It had been different for him, but still strangely similar. "Maybe—"

The curtain rattled as it was pulled open, and Thorne moaned. Compared to Cress's small voice, they might as well have been throwing bombs around in the room. He did not dare move his eyes away from the wall, though, to see who had entered.

"Can you give him something for nausea, please?" said Cress. "He's barely able to move his head. I think he might throw up if it continues."

"It's probably a side effect from the Vicodin," said the voice of Dr. Neils. "We can give him Ondonsetron for the nausea if he's able to keep it down. Mr. Thorne, do you think you can swallow another pill?"

"I don't know," said Thorne.

"We can also give you a suppository."

Thorne wrinkled his nose. "I'll try the pill."

"Are you able to roll to the other side, Mr. Thorne?"

"No," he said, but the thought of having something shoved up his butt was enough to make him move anyway. The boat he was in rocked and rocked and rocked and then he was staring at Darla's hips again, using it as his focal point where she stood typing at the computer next to Dr. Neils.

Cress, who was now behind him, began to rub his back. It felt way better than he ever would have admitted. Maybe he could convince Cress to give him a back massage later. "You're fine, you're fine," she cooed. "They're going to give you something for the nausea and you'll feel better soon."

"One of your fingers is broken," said Dr. Neils.

Thorne cursed. "Do I need surgery?"

"No, it looks like a clean break. We can put it in a split."

Finally, his luck was paying off. "Perfect."

"Your index finger, however, is dislocated."

Thorne's stomach dropped, which was not a good combination with the nausea he already felt. Barely able to keep it together, he rasped out, "What…what does that mean?"

"It means we'll need to realign the dislocated bones of your finger with a simple technique. We'll use a local anesthetic injection into the finger to help decrease the pain enough while I reduce the dislocation and realign the bones. Then we'll put that finger in a protective splint as well. Finally, we'll take a second X-Ray to confirm the realignment of your finger and to double check for any broken bone that may not have shown up on the first X-Ray."

Thorne's head swam. "In…jection?"

Cress's hand went back to his forehead. "Doctor, he looks really pale. I think he's getting worse."

"No needles," said Thorne desperately.

"You will not want to experience a realignment of a finger without an anesthetic, Mr. Thorne," said Dr. Neils.

Darla's hips moved, and then there was a silver tray being wheeled in front of him.

"We'll need you to sit up for this, Mr. Thorne. Darla will you give the anti-nausea medication first, which should help. We can let that settle for about ten minutes. Then I will inject the anesthetic into your finger."

The silver tray came closer. On it, Thorne saw another plastic cup, like the one that'd had the Vicodin in it before. And next to it, there was gauze. And a vial. And gloves. And a very, very big needle—

"Thorne?" said Cress urgently. "Thorne?"

But her voice sounded distant, and the room was spinning, and then—

Then, there was nothing.


	17. Chapter 17

"Thorne? Thorne?" said Cress again, but his head flopped limply against his chest. The pallor of his complexion made some color drain from her own. She reached for his forehead and was met with clammy skin. He did not stir at her touch. "Thorne!"

"Not to worry," said Dr. Neils. "He's merely fainted. By the looks of it, afraid of needles."

Afraid of needles? Thorne?

"I don't think so," she said, brushing his damp hair away from his face. "He doesn't seem like he's afraid of anything."

Dr. Neils and the nurse both shared a laugh, then looked sympathetically at Cress.

"All men have weaknesses," said Dr. Neils.

Cress tried shaking Thorne, but he still didn't stir. She glared at Dr. Neils. "Do something!"

Dr. Neils checked her watch. "I suppose it has been more than thirty seconds. Grab the ammonia capsule," she said to Darla.

"What's that?" said Cress, still holding on to Thorne. She worried that if she let go, he might never wake up again. It was not a rational thought, but nothing about her fake relationship with Thorne was rational.

"They are sometimes referred to as smelling salts," said Dr. Neils as Darla rummaged in a cupboard. "When sniffed, the gas irritates the nostrils and lungs. It triggers a sharp inhalation reflex, which can in turn bring in more air and oxygen. Usually it wakes up someone who fainted right away. We don't use it that often, but since your boyfriend isn't waking up, it is appropriate."

Cress frowned. "Can't we just leave him passed out while you fix his fingers then?"

"No," she said.

Darla approached Thorne, causing Cress to back away and wring her hands. The doctor was right though; all it took was a swipe of the ammonia capsule under his nose and Thorne spluttered back awake.

Cress grabbed his hand immediately. "Thorne! You're okay. You only passed out because of the needle."

He groaned. Her initial panic faded when she that he was awake, aware, and yet still freaking out. Now that she knew he was only afraid of needles, it was hard not to look at him like a wounded puppy.

"Mr. Thorne, we're going to proceed now," said Dr. Neils. She began to put on gloves. "If the procedure makes you nervous, we recommend you keep your attention focused elsewhere."

"No," he said, with more attention now, "no needles."

His head tilted towards the nurse and doctor, his eyes dropping to the appendages on the small medical cart on his right. Cress immediately bent forward, put both of her hands on his cheeks, and forced him to turn his head to the left. "Look at me," she said. "Not them."

The doctor took Thorne's hand in hers. He hissed.

Cress tried to put herself in Thorne's shoes. She was not afraid of needles, in fact as a child she had often gotten her blood drawn at the doctor when they had feared that she was anemic. She'd had no problems with it, despite the initial stinging sensation at the prick. But this was Thorne. And this injection was not as simple as getting a small prick. If she were the one lying on the hospital bed right now, he would be doing everything in his power to make her feel better.

What would he do?

What could _she_ do?

The first thought that went through her mind was horrible, and it made her face heat. That would distract him, all right. To her dismay, Thorne noticed. "You're blushing."

"Putting antiseptic on the finger now," said Dr. Neils.

Thorne paled slightly but he kept his attention fixed on Cress. "Why are you blushing?"

The thought of telling him why made her face even hotter. Thorne quirked an eyebrow.

"It was a terrible idea," she said quickly. "I was thinking of ways to distract you."

"Inserting the lidocaine now," said the doctor. "You'll feel a sharp pinch, followed by the sensation of a bee sting."

Thorne's eyes darted frantically from Cress to the right, but Cress forced his face back to hers. Deciding that it didn't matter what she said, because Thorne had signed a confidentiality agreement on her behalf just as much as for his, she leaned forward and forced herself to whisper, "My first thought was to, um, flash you."

Thorne made a choking sound, his eyes widening as she drew back, then his face contorted in pain. "Ow, ow, ow, _ow_!"

Cress stayed close to his face, trying to block his view of the needle.

"One more pinch," said Dr. Neils.

"This is like being stung by a _thousand_ bees," said Thorne, his face miserable even as Cress held on to it.

"It'll dissipate in a few minutes," said the doctor. "And here we go."

"Focus on me," said Cress.

A tear leaked out of Thorne's eye. "You mean, focus on— _aces, OW!_ —your cleavage?"

Cress wiped away the tear immediately. Cupping his chin, she ran her fingers through his hair when he swore again. "You're okay, you're okay. It's almost done."

"What was your second thought?" said Thorne through gritted teeth.

Cress snuck a glance at the needle, and, upon seeing that it was embedded in the most crooked part of his finger, she quickly turned back to Thorne.

"I didn't make it that far," she said sheepishly. "I'm not as good as you at making people feel better, clearly."

He let out a labored laugh.

"And I think the fact that flashing you was my first idea is a definite sign that you've corrupted me," said Cress with a slight smile. She softened her eyes, trying to make him feel safe and loved. She realized that it wasn't just because she had paid him to spend the weekend with her and felt guilty about putting him in the hospital—she really did want him to feel better.

Even if he _was_ corrupting her.

"Done," said Dr. Neils.

"It's still stinging like a mother," said Thorne with a growl. To Cress, he said, "Me corrupt you? Remember, this is a companionship service, not a—"

Cress cut him off by putting a finger over his lips. "I remember."

For a brief moment, Cress's mind wandered to actually flashing Thorne. She remembered when in _Ten Things I Hate About You_ the main character had done that to distract the coach during detention so that the love interest could escape the room. Thorne had surely seen that movie too for his "research" on women. It was one of the most cringe-worthy parts of the movie.

She bit her lip. What was happening to her? This line of thought was _absurd_. She needed to get her mind out of the gutter.

"Hey!" said Thorne. "You're not thinking about… _that_ , are you? Aces, you are, aren't you? Your neck is just as pink as your face now."

Cress closed her eyes, which were so close to Thorne's from the way she was holding him. If she simply didn't look at him, Thorne's face would disappear and so would her ridiculous thoughts.

Dr. Neil's voice forced her to open her eyes. "We're going to realign the dislocated bones now. It shouldn't be extremely painful, thanks to the lidocaine, but it won't be comfortable."

"Please keep looking at me," said Thorne weakly.

"Of course," said Cress, and she found herself staring into Thorne's deep, blue eyes. Their first kiss flashed through her mind momentarily, but she pushed away those thoughts just as quickly as they'd appeared. They needed a change of topic. "If you could be anywhere right now, where would you be?"

Thorne considered. "I'm starving, so I could really go for a burger right now. With bacon and a heap of cheese."

The abrupt reply took her by surprise. "I thought you might say at the beach, or on an exotic island being fanned by lots of women."

He chuckled. "Are the women topless?"

Cress blushed again, glanced at the doctor, and found neither she nor the nurse were paying the two of them any attention. She did see that the doctor was holding both of Thorne's swollen fingers. "You're never going to forget I said that, are you?"

"Definitely not," said Thorne, grinning widely for the first time since he'd passed out.

There was a distinct, sharp _crack_ and Thorne jumped and swore.

"Worst is over," said Dr. Neils. "We'll splint you, get another set of X-Rays, and then you'll be ready to go on your way."

Cress let go of Thorne's face, choosing to hold his left hand instead. She ran her other hand over his knuckles soothingly. "Are burgers your favorite food?"

Thorne shrugged. "I'm a normal guy, Cress. Give me food and I'm pretty happy. Burgers are up there, though. _If_ they're done right."

She knew she probably wasn't supposed to ask, but she was curious. "Are you—are you at all like your normal self when you're working?"

Thorne studied her for a long time, and Cress wished she knew what was going through his mind. Then, he shrugged again. "I'm less clingy in real life. And, I suppose, lazier. I watch more sports. I don't let anyone tell me what to do."

"What do you like the most about this job and what do you hate the most?"

"Curious today, aren't we?" said Thorne, shifting in the hospital bed. "Okay, I'll bite. The best part is when girls tell me they want to flash me."

When he laughed teasingly, Cress felt slightly relieved rather than anxious. She knew she would never live it down, but Thorne was slowly returning to his normal self. They had nearly survived the hospital, and Cress wasn't broke and Thorne wasn't broken. Only two fingers were, and he wasn't blaming her or mad at her.

"I'm glad I could make your work experience more pleasant, Mr. Thorne," she said, almost playfully. Letting go of his hand, she pulled on a strand of her hair and twirled it around her finger. He laughed more, and Cress finally allowed herself to smile for real. The remaining butterflies that had made her sick with worry since they'd arrived in the hospital started to dissolve.

"Nah, the best part is that I get to hang out with people who respect me and believe I'm talented enough to keep me around. It's an ego booster, obviously."

Cress had a million follow-up questions at the tip of her tongue, but Thorne kept talking.

"I get to make my own hours too. I decide when and who I'll take on as a client. The worst part? Hmmm." He looked up at the ceiling for a moment. "If I have to wear another turtleneck again, I'll scream."

"All set," said Dr. Neils. "You can look over here now. All offending objects have been removed."

Cress gave Thorne two enthusiastic thumbs up. "You made it!"

Thorne's dimple returned to his face. "Thanks to you, beautiful."

As Thorne turned to the right to inspect his hand, Cress blushed for an entirely different reason.

* * *

"Are you sure you've got all the discharge papers?" said Cress's dad when he had pulled into the emergency loop and gotten out of the car. "We don't want to have to come back."

"Yes, Dad," said Cress, shivering despite her winter coat. Her dad had already asked her that once when the nurses had allowed him to come back as Thorne was being discharged, and yet again before he'd gone out to get the car. "Let's get in the car."

She pushed Thorne forward, who was sitting in a mandatory wheelchair. He hadn't said much since they'd left his room, and Cress got the impression that he was slightly out of it from the combination of Vicodin and Ondonsetron. They had stopped at the pharmacy inside the hospital on the way out to pick up the two prescribed bottles, but he wasn't allowed to take more for another two hours.

Cress had taken notes on the discharge sheets once Dr. Neils had come back into the room to let him know he was all set. Thorne hadn't looked like he was paying rapt attention, but Cress planned to make sure that the papers made it into his suitcase right on top of his clothes before they left tomorrow morning.

With everything that had happened, it was hard to believe that the weekend was already almost over. Throne would follow up with an orthopedic specialist sometime next week on his own. Sometime between his Christmas weekend with Cress and his probable New Year's weekend with another girl.

Business as usual.

She wondered what story he would come up with when he met that other girl. There was no way he would say that he'd injured himself while playing in the snow with Cress. Thorne was more professional than that.

"Let me help you," said her dad to Thorne, extending his hand.

Cress watched gratefully as Thorne accepted it willingly and got to his feet. His dad led Thorne to the front seat, making sure that he didn't slip or lose the jacket that they had draped over his shoulders. Thorne shook his head, though. "I'd rather sit in the back with Cress."

Her dad did not protest, which relieved her further. She pushed the wheelchair back inside the hospital and then slid into the backseat with Thorne. She made sure to get in on the left side, in case Thorne wanted to lean on her. He was still cradling his right hand delicately in his lap.

The second she sat down and had buckled in, Thorne sprawled out and laid his head on her shoulder just as she had expected. "I'm so tired," he said. He curled up one knee on the seat and pushed his jacket off of him.

"You've been through a lot today," said her dad.

Cress glanced up at him. He was looking at the two of them through the rearview mirror. "Thanks," she mouthed with a smile. Her dad nodded back at her before he began to drive.

It didn't take long before Thorne was sleeping, his lips parted slightly. He smelled different, like sweat mixed with disinfectant, but there was still a hint of his cologne on him. He was heavy against her, though, and she shifted several times to try to find a more comfortable position for herself.

Her dad cleared his throat. Cress glanced up again. "I saw the way you took care of Carswell today."

Cress perked up a bit. "You did? You weren't in the room with us."

"I saw enough. You consistently showed him how much you love him." He cleared his throat again. "As you have throughout the weekend. I can see how much he loves you too. I'm proud of you, Crescent."

"Thanks, Dad," said Cress, half in shock, half in awe.

"I'm sorry that I was hard on him on Friday. It's not easy to see my little girl all grown up. And…and kissing boys."

Cress's throat dried up with emotion. "It's okay, Dad."

"I would like to talk about this more with you, but I need to concentrate on driving. While I was in the cafeteria, I checked the news. They've closed several of the main highways due to the snow. I'm going to take an alternate route. It may take longer for us to get back. I can barely see beyond the car in front of me."

"Let me know if you need anything," said Cress, a bit of worry knotting up her stomach. She had indeed noted outside of the Emergency Room that it had snowed several inches during their time at the hospital.

She pushed the worry away. Her dad was a cautious driver. They had snow tires. It was not their first blizzard, if that was even what this was.

And her dad had said he was _proud_ of her. That he had seen how much she loved Thorne. He had accepted their relationship as true.

She checked out Thorne, making sure that his hand was protected and that he wasn't getting cold without his jacket. Even in sleep, with his mouth hanging open, his hair unruly from laying in the hospital bed, and his shirt still somewhat damp from being nervous in the hospital, he was still handsome. In fact, she found that she liked this side of him, with the crack in his armor showing—as Dr. Neils had said—that he, too, had weaknesses.

"Thank you," she whispered, before kissing the top of his head. "Thank you."


	18. Chapter 18

Thorne woke abruptly at the sudden jerk of the car. He lurched forward, the seatbelt cutting into his collarbone.

"G-good thing we have those snow tires," said Cress. She was using that tone of voice she put on when she was scared or nervous but trying to hide it. He had heard that voice a lot this weekend.

He sat up straight, sliding his hand under the seatbelt to rub the already tender spot. He blinked a few times, trying to adjust to the white that was all around him. Though it should have been sometime in the afternoon, he could barely see out the window with the way the snow seemed to be smothering them.

Cress rolled out her shoulder twice and then gave him a look that was filled with worry. Just as he had suspected. "Welcome back."

"Looks pretty bad out there," he commented, returning his attention to the front of the vehicle. Sage gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles as white as the snow outside. He had an ugly snarl about him, which mirrored the one he had used when he had first walked in on his daughter making out with Thorne in bed. He did not reply to either of them.

"How are you feeling?" asked Cress. "Is your hand any better?"

"Not really," he said, letting out a sigh. "The meds take a bit of the edge off, but I think they mostly just make me groggy."

"The doctor did say it might take some time before you feel better."

"Easy for her to say. She's probably never broken her fingers on Christmas."

Cress, who had stopped looking so devastated in the hospital, grimaced.

Thorne smirked and nudged her with his elbow. "Just think, now that you've injured me on such an important holiday, you owe me all sorts of"—he wiggled his eyebrow suggestively—" _favors_."

She rolled her eyes. "I do not."

He leaned over to whisper in her ear. "Since we're not _actually_ dating, I'll let you off the hook this time. But if you were my girl, well…" He pulled away from her, making sure that she saw the way he smiled and bit his lip intentionally.

Though she did blush as expected, Cress surprised him by holding her chin up high. "No, if we were really, _you know_ ," she hissed, "then love and forgiveness would trump those kind of thoughts."

He threw his head back in good-natured laughter, but found that the movement made him slightly dizzy. He righted himself again and decided to keep quiet. Love or no love, if he were with someone and this had happened, he would spend the rest of his day lying in bed. His girl would stay there with him. But as the scenario developed in his mind, his fingers sent another pang of pain down his hand.

He reconsidered. She would still stay in bed with him, he decided. Doting on him. Only leaving to bring him hot cocoa and ice packs in sexy lingerie. That sort of thing. Then, when he was in less pain, she would make it up to him.

"Watch out!" Cress screamed, wiping the smile off of his face instantly.

Sage simultaneously accelerated and veered the car to the right in the split second before Thorne saw the bright lights of the oncoming vehicle through Cress's window. The wheels began to skid; his arm flew across her body. The car became a Tilt-A-Whirl, pinning him to the back of the seat as they spun like a dreidel on the ice. He shut his eyes.

 _Bam_.

The car stopped. For what felt like a thousand racing heartbeats, all Thorne heard was the frantic beating of the wipers against the windshield.

As his mind caught up with this turn of events, he heard Cress panting next to him. His arm was still splayed across her chest protectively, and her erratic heartbeat matched his.

From the front of the car, Sage turned around to face them. Thorne let out a sigh of relief at the sight him—no apparent injuries. "Everyone okay?"

Cress nodded way too many times.

"Have to check the damage," her dad continued very matter-of-factly. "Hard to tell from in here." He sighed as well and leaned back heavily against the seat, though, just waiting.

 _All_ of them were leaning back heavily, Thorne noted, absorbing the sudden brush with what could have been a quick death on the highway.

Suddenly, something dawned on him. Maybe in a less stressful situation he would have realized it sooner.

He was tired and full of Vicodin, but he had to kiss Cress right this second. They had just defied death. This was a situation in which any woman would expect to be kissed. Sage, too, might wonder why the two of them weren't desperately clinging to each other.

Taking the established time to concentrate his gaze hungrily on her lips so she would have a proper warning would not work now. This situation merited an abrupt forcefulness that none but he could calculate if it were not real. Life or death made adrenaline course through the body. It made for brash—even sloppy—kisses that were full of passion and led to more intimate embraces that fogged up windows in the backseat of a car.

"We're okay, we're okay," he breathed, stroking Cress's cheek. She nodded fervently, still panting as Thorne brought her lips to his.

It was as if she had been waiting for it.

She melted against him, and he could feel the palpable, slow release of panic in her warm lips. He gripped the back of the seat with his uninjured hand, trapping her against the corner of the seat as he pushed onto one of his knees for leverage. Her hands latched onto the side of his shirt, forcing him even closer. When she let out a sigh of relief against his mouth, the vibration sent such an unexpected jolt through him that he had to gasp for air.

He parted his lips, reached out for her tongue with his—found that he wanted more, more, _more_. He was used to taking what he wanted, but Cress was…Cress was taking _him_.

The taste of her tongue was an insatiable craving, the scent of her hair around him a drug. He cursed his splint, desperately needing both of his hands available to him so he could dig one of them through her messy, thick hair. But Cress had two uninjured hands, and they found their way to the nape of _his_ neck instead. When she moved to massage the back of his scalp, it was such a tease that he let out a small moan.

He pulled away abruptly, trying to hide his combined surprise and panic. It did not help that her cheeks were flushed as she breathed heavily, gazing up at him through her thick lashes.

"Crescent!" said Sage sharply. "I know this was—ah—um—traumatic," he spluttered, "but control yourself, please!"

Cress's dad, as usual, was obnoxiously there to snap him back to reality.

"S-sorry, Dad," said Cress, but her eyes didn't leave Thorne's.

"Sorry, sir," he said, sitting back down on the middle seat. He was too stunned to say anything else.

"Carswell, I could use your help outside. Cress, stay inside."

Thorne reached for his jacket automatically. "Of course."

As Cress opened the door for him and he climbed over her to get out, he noticed the slight hint of steam on the window. Luckily, the small mound of snow that landed on his head at that moment was enough to make his mind go elsewhere.

He thought it was more than unfair that he, the injured one, had to go out and check the car for damage when Cress's eyes worked as well as his. _Women and their equal rights_ , he thought sourly. But a part of it was his fault: he had created this _always-a-gentleman_ persona from the moment he'd met Cress's family. Sage had clearly picked up on it.

Or he just didn't trust leaving his daughter in the car with Thorne.

But then he could have left _Thorne_ in the car.

He was punishing Thorne. That was it.

The car, though not more than dented at the right fender, was partially stuck in a snowbank. Sage recounted the event from his point of view as he popped the trunk and revealed the shovel inside. A car had lost control and crossed the median. He had seen it a minute too late due to the snow and had needed to swerve to avoid being hit. He'd lost control of the car once it had spun out, and now they were stuck with a car whose front was pointing into the right lane.

The cars crept past them in the left lane like snails. The car that had nearly hit them was nowhere in sight.

Typical.

"Do you have AAA?" asked Thorne, already beginning to shiver.

"That would take too long. If we can stop the back wheels from spinning out in the snowbank, we should be able to keep going."

The idea of doing anything besides calling a snow plow or AAA seemed crazy to Thorne, but Sage was so calm that he sort of thought he was on the verge of a breakdown.

"We'll take turns shoveling," said Sage.

Thorne lifted his injured hand. "I won't be of much use."

"No matter," said Sage.

Thorne tried to keep Sage company while he shoveled the snow away from the tires, but could not for the life of him think of anything much to say. His mind kept drifting back to Cress and the way his body had felt pressed up against hers.

He told himself that this was the Vicodin speaking.

It actually did not take long before Sage rapped on the door and Cress poked her head out. "Cress, I need you to step on the accelerator while Carswell and I push."

Thorne tried to hide his groan.

Sage held up his hands and walked closer to the left lane. He waved down the cars until someone finally rolled down a window.

"Can you hold up the traffic for a minute?" he asked the woman. "We need to get our car out and do not want to hit anyone in the event that the wheels slip again."

The woman glanced at the man who was driving, and then nodded back at Sage. They switched on their flashers and stopped completely. It didn't take long before the cars behind them began beeping.

Sage and Thorne ignored them, and thankfully, so did the couple in the car.

"Use your core," said Sage, bending low and pushing against the back of the car.

He would be using his shoulders too, Thorne thought, as one of his hands was still unable to participate.

"Push on the gas, Cress!" Sage cried.

The tires squealed as Cress obeyed and Thorne threw his bodyweight against the trunk. The car gave a little resistive jump but did not budge. They tried again and again. Sweat poured down Thorne's back.

"Need a hand?" said a deep voice with a thick accent. Sage and Thorne both looked up to see the man from the car standing behind them. They both nodded gratefully, and the man situated himself on the other side of Thorne. "Name's Logan," he said.

Cress hit the accelerator again as Logan grunted in unison with Sage and Thorne. Snow flew up at them from the wheels, but they kept pushing. The car lurched forward, sending Thorne nose-diving into the snow. He might have caught himself if he hadn't been so worried about re-injuring his left hand. Sage and Logan yanked him back to his feet, and the three of them clapped each other on the back while Cress righted the car. They only had moments to spare before the cars from the left lane began filing into the right lane, eager for them to clear the way.

"Thank you, Logan," said Sage, shaking his hand.

Thorne nodded, but slipped back into the car as quickly as possible. Cress was still sitting in the front, making the backseat feel enormous.

Sage opened the driver's car door and urged Cress to scoot over into the passenger seat. "Why don't you sit up here with me, Cress, and help me keep an eye on the road for the rest of the trip?"

He knew Cress would look back to him for approval, but he had already closed his eyes and didn't bother opening them. It only took moments before he let exhaustion claim his thoughts once more.


	19. Chapter 19

By the time they made it back to the house, Cress was still flushed and rather clammy despite having removed both her jacket and long-sleeved shirt. Her nerves had claimed her entirely, and there was absolutely no adrenaline left in her body. When her dad braked and put the car in park, Cress had to force her hand to stop gripping the passenger handlebar.

The other hand massaged her stomach gently, which she was sure was bruising underneath her tanktop. With everything that had happened to Thorne, she hadn't allowed herself to really think about how much his snowball hit to her stomach had really hurt. She hoped that the soreness she felt was more the result of her muscles cramping up with worry on the ride home.

Since the accident, they had crept along the highway single-file along with the other drivers who wanted to get home for Christmas too. They had passed several pile-ups, which had only caused her dad to drive even more slowly than when they'd first left the hospital.

It had not put her at ease. They could have _died_.

Cress had tried to think of other things to distract her from the impending doom that crashed upon her whenever she focused on the gusts of snow outside of the car. That had not helped with her nerves either, though, because somehow her mind always returned to the memory of making out with Thorne in the backseat.

The weight of his body against hers…

The neediness of his tongue…

The way he had made desire erupt inside of her like an unquenchable flame…

Cress had been the genie and Thorne the master of the lamp. One small touch and she had come alive, bending to his every whim.

It had felt so _real_.

That fact only made Cress more nervous. _Of course_ it had felt real. It had felt _too good_ to be real. Thorne was an expert kisser. Spades, he had _taught her_ how to kiss.

And though she had kissed him several times by now, everything had been different this time. He had made her forget everything—the accident, the storm, _the fact that her father had been in the car with them_. Time had stopped and all she had wanted was Thorne.

And that in itself was extremely problematic.

And embarrassing.

How could she have let herself get carried away like that? How could she have let herself believe—even for an instant—that it was real?

It was the accident messing with her head. She had only felt those things because she had needed a distraction from their situation and Thorne had provided that distraction.

He was _paid_ to provide a distraction.

It was natural to respond this way when a charming, roguishly handsome man made a kiss feel like a vow.

Perfectly natural.

* * *

_Act natural._

That was Thorne's mantra to himself after Cress woke him and announced that they'd made it back to the cabin.

She had opened the door on his side and was leaning forward with concern, her face only inches from his. For an instant, he wanted to grab her by the waist, flip the two of them over, and pick up where they'd left off after the accident. He'd certainly continued from that point in the vivid dream he'd had while dozing in the back of the car.

A dream that certainly had no grounds in reality. The medicine had completely messed with his head.

He blinked rapidly and drew his gaze away from her wide, hesitant eyes, and focused on…her collarbone? Why was Cress wearing a tanktop in the middle of a blizzard? Aces, was he still dreaming?

_Medicine, Thorne, medicine._

He took Cress's hand and let her help him out of the car, though he let go the second his boots hit the snow. Then, upon second thought, he grabbed it again but avoided lacing their fingers together. Now was not a time to get confused. He had to act natural, which meant acting like he always did—like he was in love with someone who he had no feelings for.

That was normal.

Following Sage's lead, they trudged up the covered walkway to the front door. The fresh snow made it up past his boots, almost to his knees. The only indication that they were even on the walkway was that the bushes on both sides of them were only halfway covered by snow. He was glad that they'd headed straight to the hospital after playing in the snow, because otherwise he would have ruined his favorite dress shoes.

The front door swung open before they even reached the porch. Almost everyone from Cress's extended family appeared in the hallway, huddled together and chattering all at once.

"We thought you would never come back!"

"Look at Carswell's hand!"

"The car doesn't look like it's totally messed up!"

"Shut the door! It's _freezing_."

"Sage, my love, you're so stubborn _._ "

"Why is Cress wearing a tank top?"

"Don't just stand there, get inside!"

They ushered the three of them inside, and soon Thorne was being embraced by _everyone_. Some of them examined his hand with a wince. Kai pounded him on the back. Rosie was the last person to hug him, and she held on to him and continued to pepper kisses all over his face.

"Oh sweetie," she said when she pulled away and he was surely bright red. "To think, you've been injured on your holiday! You poor, poor thing. Did it hurt terribly?"

"It wasn't _that_ bad," said Thorne, though he scrunched up his face in a clear show of discomfort. He was still hurting, but it wasn't like he'd broken his leg. Having them all care about his well-being felt good, though. He was pleased when his words caused the room to quiet down. He would milk this moment for all it was worth.

"My daughter is going to take such good care of you for the rest of the day, isn't that right, Cress?"

Rosie looked over his shoulder to find Cress, and Thorne managed to turn slightly until he found her. She was nearly hidden by Ze'ev, and his confident stance made Cress look all the more timid and small next to him. For some reason, a hot blush was creeping up her neck. The strange desire to kiss his way up it made him let out a measured breath.

"Of course," said Cress quietly. "I'll make sure Carswell has whatever he needs." She did not meet his eyes, though, and he was glad for it.

"The hot tub sounds nice," he commented. Perhaps if he mentioned it now in front of everyone, he would not need to deduct anything from their negotiated price again.

" _Of course_ ," said Rosie with a tone that was much more convincing than Cress's. She rubbed his back reassuringly, and for a brief moment, Thorne felt like Rosie was his own mom. "We still have an hour or so before dinner. You do whatever your little heart desires."

The moment ended. His own mom never really encouraged him to do what his heart desired. It had always been what his father had desired or what she thought society might _expect_ him to desire.

"In fact," she announced to everyone, "Cress, Carswell, and Sage are all off dinner duty today."

There were collective groans around the room.

"Oh shush," said Rosie, still holding onto Thorne. "You've all had the afternoon to lay around lazily and eat. A little kitchen duty won't hurt you."

Thorne waited for a prissy remark from either Levana or Sybil, but noticed then that they were not part of his welcoming committee.

"On that note," Rosie continued, now looping her arm around Thorne's good side. "Would you like a snack before dinner, sweetie? Sage sent me lots of text updates from the hospital. You must be famished. We have leftovers from lunch and lots of cookies. I can make you a hot cup of cocoa too. Would you like that?"

She began to lead him away from the group towards the kitchen. He was ecstatic at the prospect of food. Though his stomach was still slightly queasy, he was sure that eating something would ease the effects of the medicine—both on his stomach and mind.

"Wait!" said Scarlet.

He turned together with Rosie.

Scarlet took a step in front of Ze'ev and his arms wound around her waist. The two of them obscured his view of Cress.

"Before we all split up again," said Scarlet, "I'd like to make an announcement." She tilted her head to smile up at Ze'ev. " _We'd_ like to make an announcement."

Ze'ev grinned at his wife, puffed up his chest, and nodded. Together, they said, "We're pregnant!"

Rosie let go of Thorne's arm and joined the entire group as the all tried to hug Scarlet and Ze'ev, much as they had crowded around Thorne earlier. Everyone congratulated them and suddenly wanted to touch Scarlet's belly, even though Thorne was sure that she wasn't showing at all. He offered his congratulations too—though he did not try to touch her belly—and retreated out of the crowd.

"Three months last Wednesday," said Scarlet happily. "We've wanted to tell you all weekend and kept waiting for the right moment. I should have known that with this family there is never a right moment!"

A slow clap drowned out her words. Levana shimmied into the room with Sybil at her side. "Congratulations," she drawled, only it sounded like the exact opposite of congratulations in Thorne's opinion. "Haven't you been trying to get pregnant for two _entire_ years? Did you end up using a sperm donor or is it really yours?"

While Scarlet's brow pinched at the middle, Thorne didn't even try to hide the way his face scrunched up in pure disgust. What was wrong with this woman and her wife? Her blunt, rude comments all weekend were a drag for everyone. He wondered why Cress's family even bothered putting up with them. Was it really so they could gather at this house each year? Did riches mean that much to all of them? He would have dumped them years ago, like he did his family.

Scarlet recovered quickly and turned to the rest of the group. "We have so much to share with everyone."

"Oh, let's all go to the living room and hear all the details," said Winter.

Ran scowled. "That's women's talk."

"It is not," said Cinder, putting her hands on her hips.

Kai draped an arm over her shoulders. "Scarlet, as much as I'm thrilled to hear this news, I have to agree with Ran. Baby talk isn't my thing. You know what I'm saying, Ze'ev?"

Thorne saw the plea in Kai's eyes and had to stifle a laugh. He could guess what Kai was really trying to tell Ze'ev. Cress had filled Thorne in on the _girl talk_ yesterday. Kai needed to separate himself from any possible situations in which he could get trapped talking about their future. Watching women coo about unborn children would put any man under more pressure to propose.

"That's perfectly fine, Kai," said Scarlet. "I'm sure there are other people that don't care to hear how we've begun decorating our house or the many names we're thinking of."

Thorne was definitely one of those people. He had been to plenty of events where he'd been forced to listen to pregnant people jabber on and on about this sort of thing. He had even been hired once by a client to attend a co-ed baby shower. The woman who had organized the shower had actually spent time filling diapers with different types of melted chocolate and they'd had to "guess" what type of "poop" was in a diaper as part of a "game."

It was one of the more disturbing things he'd done since the inception of his companionship service.

"I'm out," said Thorne quickly, nodding at Kai. "Hot tub for me." He felt slightly guilty for not asking Cress whether it was okay, but he'd already announced earlier that he'd wanted some hot tub time. Cress had said she would give him whatever he wanted. And there was no way Cress would be able to tell Scarlet that she didn't to hear about her baby. She was too polite.

He could finally get some real alone time, sort out his thoughts, and stop thinking that he had kissed Cress for anything other than a professional reason.

* * *

One reason.

That was all Cress needed to get out of this. It was strange for her to think that she didn't want to talk about babies. But listening to her family gush about Scarlet's pregnancy would remind her too much of why she had hired Thorne. She was nowhere near being close to having a baby because she was nowhere near getting married because she was nowhere near even having a relationship. Not like Winter, who would probably be pregnant the day after her wedding.

Granted, Cress was only twenty-two and definitely not thinking about babies _or_ marriage, but the constant reminder of having to lie about her relationship status made her feel positively defeated. No matter how much she tried to forget her circumstance, it was always there to kick her in the gut.

If only Thorne could provide a reason for why she shouldn't hang out in the living room with everybody. Then she could go on lying to everyone and not wallow in guilt. But he was going to the hot tub and there was no real need for her to be there too. She couldn't argue that he needed to be taken care of while in the hot tub. All she could do now was stall.

She was actually ecstatic for Scarlet and Ze'ev. This would be the first baby from anyone in her generation of the family. The two of them were both wonderful people and she knew that they would be wonderful parents as well. Though Ze'ev was only her cousin, not her brother, she also knew that she would consider herself an aunt to any children they ended up having.

"I need to collect myself a little after the hospital," she said to Scarlet. "I'll be back down soon. No need to wait for me."

"You take care of you," said Scarlet. Cress nodded gratefully but Scarlet was already focusing her attention on the next well-wisher.

She followed Thorne up the stairs, finding it slightly odd that he didn't wait for her at the top like he usually did. He continued on to their room and she found him rummaging in the wardrobe when she entered.

"Oh, right," he said, more to himself than to her. He brushed past her and disappeared into the bathroom. Cress took a seat on the bed and waited. She didn't really know what she was waiting for, but the more time that she waited, the less time she had to spend with her family pretending that everything in her life was just peachy.

Thorne emerged from the bathroom with his swimsuit in hand. "Forgot I'd hung it up to dry yesterday. It's still kind of damp. Don't you hate that? Trying to pull on a damp swimsuit?"

"I've never really thought about it."

"It's gross," he insisted, holding up the bathing suit as if she needed to inspect it. When she didn't do anything but stare at him curiously, he nodded brusquely. "So, about that kiss."

"What—what about it?" She tried not to show how surprised she was at the topic. A thousand possibilities of why he might be bringing it up rushed through her mind.

He dropped the bathing suit on the bed and took a seat next to her on the edge of the bed. The mattress sagged at his weight. She wanted to focus on the floor because kissing him was the last thing she wanted to talk about, but found herself drawn to his proximity. Their eyes met, and his shoulders relaxed ever so slightly.

There was a moment then—a brief, fleeting moment that she'd surely imagined—where their eyes dipped to each other's lips.

In this light, she could see the faintest, faintest hint of stubble beginning to sneak its way onto his flawless face. Had it been there in the hospital? Wouldn't she have noticed?

"I hope that wasn't too forceful," he said, running a hand through his hair. "I was going for death-defying kiss, so it had to be intense. But if it made you feel uncomfortable, I'll feel like a cad."

And there it was. Thorne's perfect, planned, practiced words reminding her that the kiss had also been planned and practiced.

_Hence why it'd been perfect._

She really needed to stop thinking about that kiss. It was a hard feat, when that was precisely what he wanted to talk about. Stars, why _did_ his face have to be so flawless?

 _It's perfectly natural to be physically attracted to a guy with that kind of face,_ she told herself. _This is why you hired him. Perfect face, perfect lines, perfect guy._

_Perfect kiss._

"No, no, it was a good kiss," she said, amazed at how easily the words tumbled out of her mouth despite the way her mind was waging war with her traitorous heart. "Good call, I mean. _I_ should be the one apologizing. You've certainly met our…um…open-mouth kiss quota as per our agreement. I don't want you to be uncomfortable."

"No…that was…" He squirmed and averted his eyes, fixating on the floor. Her heart sank. She _had_ made him uncomfortable. She'd really only said that to be polite. He finally looked up at her and grinned. "Just make sure my tip is big."

* * *

Her eyes were big and wide and blue and _holy spades_ , why did he still feel like he was developing a crush on his client?

She absorbed his words with a fervent nod of her head. "Of course. If anyone deserves a big tip, it's you."

"Thank you," he said, though he couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. There was a part of him that had wanted her to blush like she always did and admit that she had been caught off guard by that kiss too. The other part of him was relieved. So his painkillers _had_ affected him. "I'm going to go change then."

"Great. I'm going to—"

"—avoid your family?" he said knowingly.

"Only so long as I can. How'd you know?"

"I've been paying attention." He tweaked the tip of her nose with his fingers. "Even when you think I'm not paying attention."

He turned abruptly before he could say or do anything else that was as stupid as that, and locked himself in the bathroom. After struggling to take his sweatshirt off with only one hand, he sighed in defeat when he regarded all the buttons on his shirt. If Cress had warned him that they would be playing in the snow, he would have brought some sort of thermal shirt with him, and not have needed to play in the snow with his most casual dress shirt, jeans, and sweatshirt. The borrowed snowpants had at least managed to keep everything dry and safe from the biting wind.

He peeked his head out and around the corner. Cress was still sitting on the bed, but she had scooted closer to the middle and drawn her legs up underneath her. She bit her lip as she read something intently on her phone. She looked up when he cleared his throat, though, and hastily shoved her cell away from her.

"What's up?" she said.

"You can't avoid your family forever, you know."

"I'm not. I'm waiting for my boyfriend. Like a good girlfriend would."

He smiled sheepishly. "Want to extend your good girlfriend skills and help me out? I'm having trouble taking off my shirt."

"Oh?" she said, but the word sounded like it got caught in her throat.

"One hand and all. Too many buttons."

Cress scrambled off the bed. "Of course I'll help you." She was standing in front of him in an instant. "Just these top ones?" she said, reaching up and starting at the button beneath his collar. Her hands looked like they were trembling, but he was sure that was just his mind messing with him too.

"All of them, please," he said.

She made it through the first three buttons with immense hurry, then fumbled with the fourth. Her hands _were_ shaking. She dropped her hands before he could think on it more and shook them out. She rubbed them together before returning to his buttons, more slowly now than before. His mind ran away with him, and he imagined she was taking her time to check out his chest and the planes of his abs. It was what any woman in her right mind would do, of course.

She finished with the buttons and her hands hovered in front of his belt.

"Thanks," he said, but Cress was not really listening. Her eyes were fixated on the general vicinity of his crotch. He had trouble forming coherent thoughts. _What was Cress thinking about_?

She reached for his belt.

He grabbed her wrist immediately. "Whoa! Whoa!"

* * *

"Whoa! What are you _doing_?" said Thorne, holding on to her wrist with his good hand.

"I thought you…," she mumbled, unable to look him in the eye. "Don't you, um, need help with your belt too?"

" _Oh._ Spades _._ No, Cress, it's easy to take a belt off with one hand. You just unbuckle and pull."

Oh stars. How mortifying. Of all the things she could have misunderstood, this was probably the worst. It had taken all the courage in the world for her to even try to unbuckle his belt nonchalantly. Inside, her mind had screamed at her about how inappropriate that was and how bad it would look if someone walked in on them.

She had never imagined that it would look bad to _him._

"I'm _so_ sorry, Thorne."

He ducked his head, though, so she would look at him. "Oh hey, don't worry. Small—er, maybe big—misunderstanding, but no harm done." His lips quirked into a grin. "I still have my pants on."

Cress let out the most awkward laugh of her life, but she grew quiet when his eyes flitted across her face as if searching for something. She waited for him to say something, but he kept looking at her. He was still holding her wrist, though he had lessened the pressure considerably. She swallowed hard, pinned to the spot by his intense scrutiny. It was making her feel self-conscious, but that was only because it was making her feel _pretty_. His eyes dipped to her mouth. Then traveled their way back up her face.

His thumb stroked her arm.

She became the genie again. She could do nothing to fight it.

He took a step closer.

Cress wet her lips.

Thorne _screamed_.

A high-pitched shriek of a scream that startled her out of her stupor. Thorne sprang onto the bed before she even had time to blink. He jogged unevenly around on top of it, shaking out his arms as if he'd just been sprayed with slime.

"Cockroach, cockroach, cockroach!" he said, pointing frantically at her feet.

Cress jumped about a mile in the air the second she saw it, though it was more because she was still startled at the entire situation than because she was afraid. She actually didn't mind bugs or spiders like most girls she knew. And she had never imagined that _Thorne_ of all people would be afraid of a little cockroach. Though, upon inspecting it closer, it was not really that little.

She wrinkled her nose as she watched it scurry into the bathroom.

"How the hell is that thing in here?!" said Thorne, still standing on the bed. His abs contracted as he breathed in and out heavily.

"He was probably cold outside," said Cress, shrugging.

"They're hard to kill, but I believe in you."

"I'm not going to kill him. I'll trap him."

"This is not the time for mercy."

"He didn't do anything to _you_. He's an innocent animal."

"Bug, Cress, _bug_. That's not the same thing as an animal. And it is not innocent."

"Okay, okay, just calm down." She would have to trap the cockroach either way. She followed him into the bathroom.

* * *

"Close the door!" he called after Cress as she walked into the bathroom. As soon as it swung shut, he hopped off the bed, feeling jittery and dirty.

"I'm changing out here!" he said, pulling off his belt in one swoop and stepping out of his pants. He hastily grabbed his swimsuit, annoyed when the wet fabric clung to his thighs when he tried to pull it up with one hand.

"Done!" said Cress.

"Naked!" he yelled, yanking on his suit and trying to wiggle into it. Once he was wearing it properly, he messed with the strings in an attempt to tie them, but decided against it. He was also not going to ask Cress to tie them because he was pretty sure that would somehow result in him almost kissing Cress again.

He could not have that, not when his hand was still throbbing and it was almost time for more medicine. He needed to remove himself from this situation immediately.

He grabbed his Vicodin bottle and thanked the stars silently that Cress had already loosened the lid for him enough that he could open it on his own. Thoughtful girl. He downed a pill without any water. So he was about an hour early on the dose. Big deal.

For good measure, he grabbed the Ondonsetron and swallowed that too; it lodged itself painfully in his throat. He was thankful that he managed to get it down without going into a coughing fit. Now there was no way he'd be nauseous whilst in the hot tub.

"Are you decent?" asked Cress. "The cockroach is trapped inside that little basket. You know, the one that had the towels in it? It's—"

"Perfect, perfect, I love you," said Thorne, then groaned.

He didn't trust himself to stay around Cress any longer in his current state, so he headed out the door right as she came out of the bathroom. "I'll catch you later," he called over his shoulder. "Have fun at the baby shower!"

"It's not a baby shower," came her voice, but he reached the stairs and bounded down them without replying.

He needed to be alone and think.

And thinking always required a beer. In this case, maybe two.


	20. Chapter 20

" _How do you know if a guy wants to kiss you?_ " Cress murmured as she typed the words into Google. The result brought up hundreds of hits and Cress clicked on the first one, which was an article from Cosmopolitan. It had a cute picture of a boy and girl and broke the suggestions into seven surefire ways for her to know if a guy wanted to kiss her.

She looked up from her phone out of paranoia to make sure that no one had snuck into the room in those brief seconds since Thorne had left. When she had reassured herself that she was alone, she laid back on the bed and held the phone up in front of her face.

The first surefire way to know if he wanted to kiss her was supposedly _eye contact_. Cress already knew this though, because Thorne himself had told her that if he wanted to kiss her he would stare hungrily at her lips. This had been her first lesson in kissing, in fact. The article continued to say that she shouldn't ignore his facial expressions and the more attentively she observed him she would "see what she needed to know." This did not help at all.

She moved on to the next section. The article claimed that if the guy kept his _distance_ during a date, he definitely didn't want to kiss. If he consistently sat close and even touched he _r_ , then it was very likely that he wanted to kiss. Frowning, she quickly scrolled to the next section. The two of them were always touching.

Next came _flirting_ , which wasn't helping at all, because how was Cress supposed to know if he was flirting on purpose or because he wanted to kiss her for real?

The next surefire way to know was whether a guy _touched his lips_ or not. She tried to think if Thorne had bitten his lower lip recently, but she only remembered biting her own. She sucked in a breath at the thought that perhaps she had been giving Thorne the signal that _she_ wanted to kiss _him_. He had probably read many articles like this.

She continued scrolling.

Getting showered with _compliment_ s was also not going to help her in this situation because Thorne had been complimenting her since the moment she had rung his doorbell in Minneapolis.

The article then encouraged her to consider what types of p _auses_ existed in the conversation, and for the first time Cress felt a slight lift of hope in her chest. She flipped on her stomach and elbows and read this section intently. They had paused, just minutes before, when she had been removing his shirt. Though she had made the horrible error of trying to help him take off his pants as well, they had both stopped after that moment and stared at each other.

The article, however, continued to say that if the conversation had _awkward_ pauses, the date was probably not successful. Cress was the epitome of awkward. If she thought something was awkward, then someone else probably thought so as well. Had that pause been awkward or a sign that he would have kissed her if the cockroach hadn't showed up?

Number seven on the list was _voice_. The article claimed that if he spoke in a calm way and whispered something in her ear every five minutes it was a great sign. This didn't help at all either, because Thorne was constantly whispering in her ear and giving her shivers. She always whispered back because usually she was trying hard not to let other people hear their private conversation.

The article ended there, and Cress groaned and flipped back onto her back. She stared at the ceiling for a few moments, trying to collect her thoughts and really think logically. There had been a moment when she had wanted to kiss Thorne—or at least she had thought that they _would_ kiss—and it wouldn't have been because anyone was watching.

But she had been wrong so many times before. She had wasted nearly a year thinking that Jacin wanted to kiss her. And now that she saw the way that he was with Winter, it was so painfully obvious that this had never been the case. Was her judgment clouded with Thorne now too? It had to be. She had signed a contract. They both knew each other's purposes and feelings.

That was the point.

Cress picked up her phone again as she sat up and got ready to go downstairs and talk about Scarlet and Ze'ev's pregnancy. She turned on the private browser option and quickly typed: _How do you know if a guy wants to kiss you if you_ _are already paying him to kiss you_?

She nearly threw her phone against the wall when she saw the racy results that Google returned at her search.

* * *

The hot tub in this house was _amazing._ He really had to get one of these hot tub rooms for his own house. The jacuzzi that Thorne had at home was decently acceptable as far as home jacuzzis went, but it took a long time to fill up the tub and get everything to the right temperature. This hot tub, on the other hand, had everything he needed the instant that he wanted it.

Standing there and turning the jets on made him feel like a king. He bent down, propping his beer up on the top of the control panel, to observe the switches below the ones that controlled the jets. He discovered a stereo system and it only took him a moment to skip past all the Christmas music and find a station with smooth jazz.

"Oh yeah, baby, _that'_ s what I'm talking about."

He made a triumphant fist pump in the air and then reclaimed his beer. He couldn't believe that this was only the second beer he was having his entire Christmas holiday. He hadn't felt right drinking more once he discovered that Cress wouldn't be drinking, and his field trip to the hospital had put a damper on any eggnog that he might have had earlier in the day. But now he was alone, and no one was here to regulate his mood, his choice of beverage, or his holiday cheer.

The steam was already strong against the sharp contrast of cold on the windows. He shimmied over to the edge of the hot tub and let out a sigh of contentment as his body sank into the hot, foamy water. This was exactly the break that he needed to clear his mind and regain control of this precarious situation with Cress. As he sipped on his beer and relaxed, always careful to keep his splint just far enough away from the water that it had no chance of getting wet, he realized that the situation was only precarious because he had let it get precarious.

There was a reason that more than a few open mouth kisses needed to be negotiated with clients. He had been too liberal with his lips in order to please Cress and make sure that this weekend went off without a hitch. Things got confusing when two people who weren't in a relationship kissed too much. It happened even with people who were friends and hooked up on occasion, but wanted nothing more romantically. Sooner or later someone would get too attached to all that kissing and hooking up.

He suspected that this was what had happened with Blakely, the client who had given him a bad rating because she had fallen in love with him. On hindsight, he hadn't thought the situation through ahead of time. He had not led her on, in his opinion, as that was never his intention with any of his clients. He hadn't been attracted to Blakely at all.

But she had hired him for a two week vacation in the Swiss Alps. It had been one of the best jobs he'd ever taken with the most amazing perks a single guy could ask for. They'd skied all day with her elite group of friends, spent time in quite a few hot tubs, eaten fondue together, and taken fancy sleigh rides under the moonlight. It wasn't his fault that he was super charming, good-looking, and knew the perfect thing to say in every situation. How was he supposed to know that Blakely hadn't been pretending after the second day?

He had learned his lesson well, and after a mess of an airplane ride home, he had established new rules both for his contracts and for his personal sanity.

If other girls since then had fallen in love with him like Blakely had, he was none the wiser. There were always a few of them who hung little too close and lingered a little too long, but he was the personification of a perfect, professional gentleman. He drew his lines and kept them. His girls knew the rules.

Where had he gone wrong this weekend?

Why had he gotten so turned on in the car?

Why had he nearly kissed Cress again in the bedroom, when no one was watching and there was no show to put on?

"Mind if I join you?"

Thorne dropped his beer bottle into the water out of surprise. For a moment, he thought it was Sage coming to bust his balls again like he had yesterday.

"Oh, hey Kai."

"I brought some refreshments," said Kai, holding up a six-pack and a bag of cookies.

Thorne grinned and waved for Kai to get in the tub. He knew he was just avoiding Cinder and all the baby talk, but Kai wasn't bad company. He was better than Sage—and certainly better than Jacin.

Kai opened a beer bottle for him and fished out the floating one in the tub. Thorne happily munched on some butter cookies. Rosie had already given him a big helping of cookies before he'd come to the hot tub room, reminding him that they would be having dinner in about two hours. He had barely eaten anything that day, though, so he didn't mind snacking some more now. It helped ease his stomach.

He had soon washed the cookies down with his second beer, thanks to Kai.

Kai sat across from him, apparently also enjoying some time to think and drink away from the rest of the family. He opened another bottle for Thorne and set it down next to him on the rim.

"Cress has certainly done a number on you," Kai mused after a while.

Thorne's eyes snapped up. "What you mean?"

Kai took a bite of a gingerbread cookie and gestured at Thorne's hand.

"Oh." He relaxed a bit. "I thought you meant something else."

Kai smirked knowingly. "Well, that's a given too. You're doing well though, adjusting to this crazy family. I think everyone likes you."

Thorne scoffed. "Of course they like me. What's not to like?"

"They're certainly an interesting bunch," Kai commented. He looked beyond Thorne to the snow outside behind him.

"Thinking about how you're not ready to propose to Cinder?" said Thorne smartly, trying to take control of the situation. He wasn't exactly sure why he needed to take control of the situation. He was relaxed now, and feeling quite happy and warm. He could barely feel his fingers throb anymore, and Kai had not figured out his secret.

"I'm ready to propose," Kai insisted.

"That's not what I hear."

"What do you hear?"

"That you're stalling."

"I've got the ring, man."

Thorne grabbed his beer and saluted Kai. "Right on."

Kai nodded.

They fell into a comfortable silence again, each alone with his own thoughts. Thorne's shifted to Kai proposing to Cinder, which led to an engagement party, and eventually a wedding. He imagined what he would do in each scenario if he were there with Cress. He would act surprised at the proposal, of course, and hug Cress in celebration. He wouldn't tell anyone, not even Cress, that Kai had already bought the ring, because he was not one to break guy code.

At the engagement party, though, he would bring up the fact that he had known all along since Christmas that Kai had been ready to propose back then. That sort of information was better revealed anecdotally. And at their wedding, he would dance with Cress all night until her tired eyes began to close against his shoulder.

A warm, fuzzy feeling burned in his stomach at the thought of dancing with Cress. He smiled and closed his eyes, wondering what would happen later that evening if the wedding took place at a hotel and Cress wasn't _too_ tired.

It didn't take long before his mind returned to making out with Cress in the backseat.

After enjoying the memory, his mind drifted and wandered, eventually spiraling like snowflakes into more interesting scenarios. His worries from only an hour ago seemed so far away. He got lost in the jazz, in thoughts of Cress.

He opened his eyes after a long while and got a sudden dizzy jolt in his periphery. He grabbed the edge of the hot tub with his uninjured arm to steady himself.

"Hey wonder boy," said Thorne. The words sounded a little funny to his brain and he wet his lips a few times to make sure his tongue was working properly. "You think Cress would be good in bed?"

Kai drew back. "Wha—"

"Cuz this one time, when we kissed, she kissed me like a tigress." Thorne thought about how the make out in the car probably also qualified for tigress level, but maybe it was more him being a tiger that time.

" _Stars_ ," said Kai, rubbing his forehead, "don't tell me that stuff. Cress is my cousin."

"No she's not. She's Cinder's cousin. And even that's like, a step cousin or something."

"Yeah, but it's _Cress_. Do I need to get Ze'ev out here to remind you what we talked about on Saturday?"

"The pregnant guy?" Something about that phrase hadn't come out exactly right, and Thorne laughed.

"You okay, man?" said Kai.

Thorne ignored him. "It's just, Cress acts so shy, you know? Which is attractive in its own way. But she has a feisty side." He wanted to tip his beer at Kai again, but his third bottle barely had anything left. He pointed at his chest instead. "I've seen it. Like she wants me."

Kai looked at him with an odd expression on his face, then let his jaw drop. "Wait. I know what this is about."

"Right?" said Thorne. It was good to know that someone else had seen this side of Cress too. She was such an intriguing, interesting girl—if not a little too clouded by jealousy at times. And she was sexy when she wasn't trying to be.

"I don't want any details, but do you mean that you and Cress…you know…haven't had sex?"

Thorne laughed. "Me and Cress? No way."

"Ah. I get it. Stars, I can't believe about to say this but..." He ran a hand through his hair, slicking it down. "Let's pretend for five minutes that I haven't known Cress since high school and that Ze'ev wouldn't kill me if he heard us talking about this."

"Ze'ev isn't here." Thorne waved his hands in the air, happy that for once his injured hand felt light enough to make a natural movement too.

Kia glanced around the room, as if to confirm, then took a sip of his own beer. "Listen, you and Cress seem like you have a really good thing going. Don't worry so much about how either of you will be whenever it happens. That stuff doesn't matter so much when you're in love, you know?"

Thorne stared at Kai blankly. "I've never been in love."

"Before Cress you mean? I can relate, man. Cinder was my first love too. It's different when you're in love. You have to work a little bit more to keep the romance alive at times, but it makes everything better in the end. Way better."

"I keep the romance alive _all_ the time," he drawled. He wiggled his eyebrows at Kai.

Kai frowned. His gaze drifted from Thorne, to his hand, and to the three beer bottles next to his hand. His eyes narrowed. "Wait…are you supposed to be drinking?"

Thorne wiggled his eyebrows some more. "Drinking and thinking. And thinking and drinking. Cress is the name of this game."

Kai cringed before turning and pushing himself out of the hot tub and onto the ledge in one movement. "Stay here. I am going to get your girlfriend before you say something you're going to regret." He seemed to reconsider, then muttered to himself, "Not that I'm going to say anything about what we talked about."

"Cress doesn't want to be at the baby shower, anyway. Tell her to put on her bikini and come hang out in the hot tub with me."

"Yeah. That's not going to happen."

Kai left the room and Thorne…Thorne thought about Cress in her bikini.

* * *

"Jacin and I want to have a baby in the next two years," said Winter. "It's part of our four-year plan. We thought we'd have a house first in two years, but now that Mom and Dad took care of that, we can shave two years off." She squeezed Jacin's hand, and though he looked a bit embarrassed at everyone finding out what their plan was, Cress had to admit that he looked happy too.

There was something definite and final about the way Winter shared this news. Cress remembered when Thorne had asked her if her goal was to break up Winter and Jacin. She was ashamed that her reaction to her sister and her fiancé had led Thorne to believe that. She didn't want to break them up. She was less than enthusiastic about their relationship, and it had hurt her to her core, but the right girl had gotten the guy.

Maybe Thorne was helping her to understand that.

"Why does everyone want babies?" said Iko. "We are way too young to be having these types of discussions, let alone pregnant relatives." She regarded Scarlet and Ze'ev with a disdainful look. If Cress hadn't known Iko for half of her life, she probably would have found the comment much more offensive.

Liam, who had only known Iko for two weeks apparently, made a face at her. Iko did not catch it, for she was too busy sticking out her tongue at Scarlet.

Besides Liam, everyone was happy. Babies tended to bring the best out of everyone, Cress thought. It helped that neither Aunt Levana nor Aunt Sybil had shown up for this part of family time.

"Cress?"

Cress looked up to see Kai, wrapped in a towel, standing hesitantly in the hallway. She was doubly glad that her aunts weren't present; walking around in wet clothes was strictly prohibited in this part of the house. She had once received a two-day grounding because of it when she had stayed with her aunts one summer in middle school. It had been the most miserable two days of her life, trapped alone in the small bedroom. If Kai was risking the wrath of the aunts, then something was wrong.

She was on her feet in an instant, horrible scenarios of Thorne somehow re-injuring his hand—or worse—popping into her mind.

When everyone in the room looked up too, Kai held up his hand. "Nothing to worry about. Just need Cress for a moment."

When she reached Kai though, he grabbed her by the elbow and pulled her towards the hot tub room. "Has Carswell taken painkillers? He's acting funny."

Cress checked her watch. "He's due to take his second dose in a few minutes, actually."

"I may have brought him beer," said Kai sheepishly.

They rounded the corner and pushed aside the sliding door to the hot tub. Thorne was sitting in the hot tub, humming to himself, with a dazed look on his face. Her eyes swept to the beer bottles at his side and she groaned.

"Carswell," she started.

"It's my girl!" said Thorne excitedly. "My fake girl, hahaha." He winked at her like they shared the most delicious secret.

All the blood drained from Cress's face. She ran around the hot tub to him, and looped her arms under his armpits. "Time to get out. You're not supposed to mix alcohol with drugs, Thorne!" She noted her mistake as she tried to drag him out of the hot tub. Glancing at Kai, who was watching them curiously, she said, "I call him Thorne sometimes. And he calls me his fake girl. It's an inside joke. Can we be alone please?"

"Yes," said Thorne. "Can we be alone?"

Her clothes were already soaking wet from his back, but she still screeched when he climbed out clumsily, splashing a bit of her legs on accident.

"Sure," said Kai. "I'm sure you two have a lot to discuss."

Thorne swayed a bit as he stood and Cress squeezed herself under his armpit to try to help him. "How much did you drink? Three bottles? Anything else? Did my mom give you eggnog earlier?"

"So many questions," said Thorne, putting his wet arm around her waist and kissing the side of her forehead.

"You need to take your painkillers soon. You can't do that if you've been drinking!"

"You worry too much. I took my painkillers before I got in the hot tub."

Cress gasped. Thank the stars Kai had been in the hot tub with Thorne. What if he had passed out and drowned? Did she need to make him throw up?

She would have to ask her dad. She did not know a lot about the effects of mixing prescription drugs with beer, but she knew it wasn't good.

When she was sure that he was standing just fine on his own, she relaxed a little bit, and handed him his towel. He was definitely feeling the effects of something, because he had nearly blown their entire cover with Kai just now. The safest bet was getting Thorne upstairs to their room and keeping him there until she could figure out what to do next.

She could _leave_ Thorne upstairs, too, while she went to ask her dad about the situation. Then she would have to make up some excuse of why he couldn't come back downstairs until he stopped acting unpredictably.

"I'm tired," said Thorne, giving her the perfect excuse. Thorne had been through a lot today. He had taken painkillers. He had also had alcohol. _Of course_ he would be tired. He could sleep it off until dinner. It would help both of them.

"Let's get you to bed," she said.

"Tigress," he said with a smile.

Cress decided not to waste her time trying to decipher whatever that meant. She sized him up while he toweled himself off. He said he was tired, but he didn't have those lidded eyes of drunken people she'd seen at college parties. He wasn't laughing hysterically.

No, he was swaying his hips sexily to the random sax music that was playing in the hot tub room.

So maybe he wouldn't die from alcohol poisoning and some medicine after only three beers, but the fake boyfriend cover could be blown at any second with one wrong word from him.

She grabbed his hand, lacing her fingers with his to make him focus. Despite her nerves, a tingle of a different sort spread through her at their touch. She had not had enough time away from him yet to recuperate from what her mind was calling the _incidents_.

_The car incident._

_The cockroach incident._

_The-incidents-in-which-she-may-or-may-not-have-developed-a-crush-on-her-fake-boyfriend-incident._

"And out the door," she said, shooing him into the hallway and closing the sliding door. Someone else could shut off the jets and the music. She had more important things to worry about.

Like the fact that Thorne was walking down the hallway ahead of her—stars, she was stupid! She rushed after him and caught up just as he rounded the corner that led to the living room.

Away from the stairs.

"Merry Christmas, Cress's family!" he said cheerily.

A round of Merry Christmas's chorused back amid the chatter, and Cress breathed a sigh of relief.

"He had a little alcohol while on his painkillers," she explained anyway with a nervous laugh. She took his hand again. "Carswell needs a little nap. Right, Dad? He'll be fine, right?"

"A little nap with this pretty lady," he said, swaying his hips again as he had to the music.

Her whole family was watching the two of them now. Cress caught Kai cringing as Cinder quirked an eyebrow. Winter giggled.

"No, Carswell—"

"Prett-y la-dy," he sang.

Cress blushed.

"Isn't my girl pretty?"

"Aww," said Rosie with a squeal.

"It's because her family is so pretty, don't you think? She takes after you guys. Not Sage, really—sorry Sage—but Rose-ma-ry," he said, saying her mom's name in the same sing-song voice.

Cress furrowed her brow.

"What a fine looking mama."

_Oh no._

"Carswell," she said, pulling on his hand, "let's go please."

"But it's not just Rosemary. It's this whole damn family of women. No man stands a chance around here. Iko over there is like, A+. And her sister—step-sister—Cinder? Kai's a lucky guy. Scarlet too, with those curves and red hair." He paused as Cress died of mortification. "Can I tell a pregnant woman she's hot? No offense Ze'ev. And where are those aunts? They're grinches, but stunning grinches if you know what I mean. Yep, my girl has good genes."

Cress tugged on his hand with all her might. "Carswell Thorne," she hissed, ready to slap her hand over his mouth if the word _fake_ would appear on his lips.

"And then _Winter_."

Cress froze.

"The first time I saw Winter, I knew she was a model without Cress even telling me. And I know they're not really related, so we can't chalk that up to genes, but she's so hot. And they're still sisters. Winter is Cress's _sister_."

Of all the things that she had been worried about Thorne saying, this had not even crossed her mind. Withholding a sudden onset of tears, she pushed Thorne back into the hallway, not even caring about the fact that the entire room had gone silent. As he finally began to walk, he looked over his shoulder at Cress pushing him. "What? Are we—"

"Shut up!" she said, more loudly than she intended. "Can't you see you're embarrassing me?"

Luckily, he kept walking, though the spring in his step vanished as he seemed to sense that he had made a big mistake.

When they got to the bedroom and Thorne smiled at her, she glared at him. "You're going to take a nap and you're going to stay here until you act normal again."

She drew in three shaky breaths while he absorbed her words.

Then, he shrugged lazily. "I am tired."

"Good. Sleep. Be quiet."

Cress slammed the door behind her and marched back down the stairs. She held on to her anger and embarrassment long enough to make it to the bathroom.

Then, with the water running loudly, she slid to the floor. The familiar tears she had tried so hard to hold back spilled down her cheeks.

Thorne didn't want to kiss her anymore than Jacin did.

Thorne wanted Winter.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! I'm sure you weren't expecting another massive chapter after only three days (I wasn't either), but I had some free time and didn't want to leave you hanging. Unfortunately I can't update at this rate normally, as I'm still doing NaNoWriMo and my health is back to being wonky. Hope this tides you over for a bit in any case. Sorry I suck at writing author's notes but I try to get to the point: the story! Thanks so much to everyone who follows and comments on the story. Makes my day!

It didn't take long before there was a knock on the bathroom door. Cress pulled herself to her feet and tried to wipe away her tears. "Just—just a minute!" she called.

She was mortified that she may have been caught crying, but she was also thankful that the forced interruption meant she could not sit and wallow in self-pity for long. She'd had her cry, and she needed to move on.

Easier said than done. A girl could dream about her problems disappearing down the sink at the same time that she turned it off, though.

She opened the door to find her mother standing there. The expression on her face told her that she knew exactly what Cress was doing in the bathroom. She held open her arms, and it took Cress only a moment to fall into them.

Cress let out a small sob. She was surprised how comforting it was to be held by her mother of all people, but she found it was exactly what she needed.

"I'm so embarrassed," said Cress, her voice muffled by the way her face was smushed against her mom's sweater. It was more than embarrassment. It was a deep, aching hurt, but embarrassment was the only emotion she could properly describe without revealing the truth about Thorne.

"I had a feeling you would say that." Her mother stroked her hair. After a few moments of silence, she said, "Why don't we move this conversation elsewhere?"

Cress sniffed. "I don't want anyone to hear."

Her mother pulled away. "I know just the place."

She took off down the hallway, but in the opposite direction of the living room. Cress followed her with a shaky sigh. They passed Sybil and Levana's master bedroom area, which opened into a different section of the house—one that was completely off-limits to family and visitors alike. Cress had never seen inside it, besides the one-time glimpse of a bed when she had been playing as a child and the housekeeper had left the door open.

Her mother continued walking, her blonde hair bouncing against her shoulders. The image of Thorne saying, " _What a fine looking mama,"_ flashed into her mind, and she tripped over her own feet. When he had first met her mom on Friday, Thorne had said that he knew then where Cress had gotten her good looks from. She had thought he was merely trying to be polite, but the truth seemed to have come out. Thorne really did think her mother was attractive. She wondered if Thorne had also been telling the truth about her resemblance to her mother rather than her father, who Thorne apparently thought was ugly.

Cress tried to think of the moment she had first started believing that she wasn't pretty. There was a time when she _did_ consider herself beautiful. She remembered being little and feeling like a glamorous princess, keen on dressing up and putting on musical performances for her parents. Now those memories were buried by a mountain of other memories in which she felt inadequate and unbeautiful.

In all of them, it was always because she compared herself to others. She was _less_ pretty than Winter. She was _less_ desirable than Winter. But it hadn't stopped there. She could recount so many times when she had compared herself to the rest of her family too, just as Thorne had done.

If there was no one there to compare herself to, she didn't feel that bad about herself. It was one of the reasons she had removed herself from Winter's presence—and most of her family—for the last few months.

Briefly before calling 1-800-CAPTAIN, Cress had heard a song on the radio that was all about loving herself. She had immediately bought the song on iTunes and listened to it on repeat. And _bawled_ on repeat. In a strange twist of fate, however, the song had actually pushed her to research escorts for this big holiday weekend. She wished she could have enough confidence to love herself in that way—like the song told her to, like her younger self had—but she simply wasn't there yet.

Thorne had assured her on the phone that it was his job to give her confidence and make her look good.

If someone had asked her just a few minutes ago, she would have said that he was performing his job perfectly. That her confidence was going up.

But it had only taken a few seconds to shatter any progress she'd made on this front. Every time she convinced herself that she was worth it, someone was there to knock her down. She had never expected that Thorne would be the one to do it this time.

He had lied to her.

She hiccuped and almost ran into her mom as she stopped in the mudroom of all places. It was the one by the boat garage, behind Levana and Sybil's private section of the house. Cress stuck her head into the room to make sure that there really was no in the vicinity.

Her mother took a seat on the large brown ottoman and patted the spot next to her. When Cress sat down, she said, "Sweetie, I think you were rather hard on Carswell when the two of you left the living room."

Anger reared up. "I can't believe you're defending him!"

"He _did_ say that I was attractive."

Her mother laughed, but Cress grew even more angry. "It must be funny for you, considering that you tend to say embarrassing things when you're under the influence of alcohol as well."

The laughing stopped immediately. Her mother peered down at her lap and pursed her lips. Cress didn't know how to react to the silence. She didn't like confrontation, and she had just unearthed a huge issue that her family was always trying to sweep under the rug. It was also an extremely rude thing to say to her mother on Christmas.

"I understand that you're frustrated, Cress, but there's no need to talk to me in that tone."

"I'm sorry," she mumbled.

"Let's focus on you and Carswell. That's what I came to talk to you about anyway."

Cress wanted to talk about anything but her and Carswell, but she knew holding it in wouldn't help anything. She tended to bottle things up inside and then would explode in little fits of anger when her emotions became too much to keep for herself. That, or she retreated into her shell of insecurity and didn't come out for a long, long time.

"So talk," she said, crossing her arms and staring at her shoe.

"My, you are grumpy today aren't you? Cheer up, sweetie, nobody likes a grinch. It's Christmas and you have a wonderful boyfriend who _loves_ you."

Cress, who had narrowed her eyes at the word grinch, looked up suddenly. That was not at all what she had expected her mom to say about Thorne.

"You heard him, Mom. He clearly loves Winter."

Even as she said it, it rang false in her ears. Thorne hadn't said he loved Winter, only that she was _hot_. At the moment, it still felt like the same thing.

"That's not true at all," her mother insisted, putting a hand on Cress's knee. "I've been watching the both of you very closely this whole weekend and if one thing is clear, it's that that boy is completely _enamored_ with you." She nodded confidently at Cress. "I have not seen him shoot even more than a cursory glance at your sister. And why should he want her when he has you already?"

"You heard him. Winter is _hot_ and he can't _believe_ we're sisters."

"He started off by saying how pretty _you_ were."

Cress shrugged.

"You need to cut him some slack. You broke his fingers and he wasn't upset with you at all. That alone deserves a little forgiveness at the holidays. Sure, he said some things that could be considered inappropriate. But this is not the first or last holiday party of this family or _any_ family where someone will drink a little too much and make a spectacle of themselves." She shook her head. "Don't you remember when Uncle Garan brought that special whiskey to the cabin three years ago and decided to go on a rampage about Levana's lack of decorating skills?"

"I vaguely remember that," she conceded. "I don't remember it being a big deal though."

"Well, that's because you're not Levana, who can't ever let go of a grudge. But besides her being sour about it on occasion, it's never come up in conversation again. But this outburst from Carswell is much different than what Garan did. I doubt he was seriously trying to get drunk, whereas Garan drank the entire bottle in under five minutes to prove a point to Sybil. You may not remember that part either."

Cress scrunched up her face. "No."

"Secondly, Carswell is under the influence of medication. Kai explained what was going on after you left. He feels terrible for giving him beer. But not to worry. All of us have felt the effects of painkillers at some point in our lives, haven't we? They're terrible. I doubt a few beers would normally make Carswell respond this way, unless this is the first time he's ever had alcohol. Is it?"

"No," she said, though she really had no idea about Thorne's drinking patterns.

She realized with a heavy heart that she really knew nothing about Thorne that he hadn't shared with her. Not even his house with its bare walls had given her any clues about his day-to-day habits. She had even wondered, on the drive to the cabin, whether that house was where he lived on a daily basis. Maybe he was so rich that he only used this one for when he met his clients.

"He really does not seem like the type of guy who would want to make a show like that in front of his girlfriend's family. You know him better than me, though."

She let her head lean against the wall. Her mom was right. But that wasn't why it had hurt. "No, he definitely wouldn't do that on purpose."

Her mom rubbed her knee more. "You see? He probably underestimated just how much the alcohol would affect him while on medication. And on top of that, it's extremely nerve-racking for a guy to not only meet his girlfriend's family for the first time, but to spend an _entire weekend_ with them. And the extended family too! Can you imagine doing that with his family?"

The question caught Cress off-guard. She had not given Thorne's family much consideration. She didn't know if any of the things he'd said about his pretend half-Puerto Rican family were even true. Not now, when she was doubting everything that he had said to her in private this weekend. But, no matter who they were, she knew that spending a weekend with a family she didn't know would be even more terrifying than spending a weekend with her own. "His father _is_ intimidating," she said.

"I can tell that Carswell is trying very hard to impress this family and until this one moment, he's done a fantastic job. And even now, when his inhibitions are down, he could have gone and insulted everybody like Garan did. But instead he just complimented everyone, which was kind of sweet in its own way, if not a bit awkward. Perhaps he could have been nicer to your aunts, but at least he was being genuine."

"Ugh! Genuine about how much he likes Winter! Everyone always likes Winter better." The words slipped out before she could help herself. She covered her mouth with her hand, horrified.

Her mom's arm wrapped around Cress's shoulder, pulling her closer. Cress wanted to cry again. "Winter is so beautiful," she whispered.

"You are beautiful _and_ unique, Cress."

"You have to say that because you're my mom," Cress sniffed.

"I say it because it's _true._ And you're not just beautiful on the outside. You are one of the smartest people I've ever met. When you put your mind to something, you figure it out—you don't stop until you have a solution. You are unstoppable when you apply yourself. Your father and I couldn't be more proud of you. And now you have a wonderful boyfriend on top of it. Look at the young woman you've become!"

Though it was somewhat cheesy, Cress cracked a small smile. She still felt like her mom had to say the words, but it felt good to hear them nonetheless. They were words she'd only heard perhaps twice in recent years. Once at her graduation, and then yesterday in the car with her dad. "Thanks, Mom."

"That's my girl," said her mom, hugging her closer. "Now let's go back and join everyone. It's almost time for dinner."

* * *

Cress kept herself busy for the next two hours, helping in the kitchen with final meal preparations and then later in the dining room to get dinner ready. Despite her mother's insistence that she was off kitchen duty, it felt better keeping herself busy so that she didn't have to think about anything besides the tasks at hand.

The only two people who mentioned Thorne's declaration of affection for all the women in the family were Ran and Kai.

Ran had clapped her on the back and said, "Your boyfriend is my hero!" and laughed hysterically. She had managed to simply roll her eyes and brush him off.

Kai had apologized for being an "accomplice" in getting Thorne drinking. He had also—interestingly enough—said that Thorne had been practically _gushing_ about how much he loved Cress during their time together in the hot tub. "He's very smitten," Kai had finished.

Setting up for dinner was chaotic as usual. Levana and Sybil's house was bigger than most, but getting the tables joined together to fit that many people was always a challenge. Cress wasn't sure why her aunts insisted on taking everything down between the bigger meals, since they always had to re-set everything up for the next one.

The pressed tablecloths had to line up perfectly over the connected tables of different lengths and widths. The candles had to have exact spacing between each of them. The special silverware and dishware had to be used and set up according to her aunts' standards.

"Presentation is _everything_ ," they always insisted.

Place cards were set out according to a pre-determined seating chart. Little boxes of mini-chocolates (not from Levana or Sybil, but from Maha) were set next to each glass.

Cress tried to hum to herself as she added the final touch of holly beside the candles. She was trying to absorb her mother's words and the words of the song that she remembered, which had stated something similar. For her own sanity, she needed to absorb them.

She was beautiful and unique and smart.

She was beautiful and unique and smart.

She was beautiful and unique and smart.

She would get through this. Thorne's outburst only affected her. She would find a way to deal with his lies at another time.

It was Christmas. Christmas was not a time to be sad.

When dinner was served, Cress took the same seat she'd been sitting in for years. Place cards were hardly necessary, since everyone had memorized their spot as if they were in a school classroom. But Levana insisted that with new additions to their family every year—and this year there were two—order was just as necessary as presentation. Cress was always at the end of the table, the round part with the annoying table legs preventing her from scooting completely under the table with her chair.

Cress's place card sat next to the one that said "Cress's boyfriend" and was crossed out with a hastily-scribbled "Carswell." It was better than Liam's, which simply said "Iko's date." She had wanted to add his name to it while setting the table, but with Levana watching, she hadn't dared.

Thorne's seat was, of course, vacant, and Cress felt slightly bad for not waking him for dinner. Though she was still mad at him and hurt by his words, she had to admit that she had missed his constant presence in the last two hours. It was strange to think that they'd been inseparable since Friday afternoon—even while sleeping.

"I don't think anyone is going home tomorrow," said Winter, taking the seat on the other side of her. She was scrolling through her phone. "It's supposed to keep snowing until at least 2:00 A.M."

Jacin, who sat on the other side of her, took her hand. "We shouldn't have scheduled the meeting so early. Can you call and cancel?"

"What meeting?" said Scarlet, who sat across from Jacin.

"Our wedding planner," said Winter, biting her lip nervously. "She's extremely busy and doesn't have a lot of time to meet. I doubt she will answer a phone call on Christmas either."

"You could leave a message," Jacin suggested.

"I can't believe you have a wedding planner," said Ran, who was in the seat next to Thorne's empty one. "Why can't you just do your own work?" In a mocking voice, he added, "Oh, dear wedding planner, I must have this exact flower."

On the other side of him, Scarlet smacked him.

"Nice one," said Ze'ev, on the other side of her.

Kai leaned over Ze'ev to join the conversation. Cress couldn't hear what he said, though, because he was too far away and there was too much noisy chatter. Ze'ev, Scarlet, and Jacin laughed though. Winter shook her head with a smile.

"I'm sure it'll be fine," said Cress to her sister as much as to herself. Snow would _not_ keep her trapped here. "Carswell has to get home on a rushed schedule too. Let's just hope that the weather will be on our side."

Winter smiled at her and nodded. "I suppose it would be fun to stay together for another day, if worst comes to worst."

"Levana has snow plow services too, doesn't she?" asked Jacin.

That perked Cress up. The last thing she needed was to get stuck here another day with Thorne. She couldn't afford it—not even another hour of his time.

"Forget the snow," said Scarlet. "What are you going over tomorrow with your wedding planner?"

"It's to finalize details on the ceremony," said Winter. "I think Jacin and I want to keep it simpler than we originally imagined."

"Really?" said Cress. She was a bridesmaid, but she had managed to get out of almost every wedding-related event in the last two months. The first four months had been enough, especially when Jacin insisted on attending every event. If she hadn't been so upset with the two of them, she would have applauded Jacin for not making Winter do everything on her own.

"Yes, it was getting overwhelming." Jacin took a sip of his wine before continuing. "We want to make it so it honors Winter's roots more."

"Ah."

"Do you want to come, Cress?" asked Winter. "Maybe we can go together, the four of us." At _the four of us,_ she gestured at Thorne's empty seat. "You haven't even had time to see the venue."

"Um, thanks, but like I said, Carswell has to be somewhere early too. Christmas with his family."

"Ooh, are you going to join their celebration too?"

Cress pinched her thigh under the table. "I'll go later in the day."

A hush fell over the room as Levana and Sybil both stood, far on the other side of the first table. Someone clinked their glass.

"Sybil and I are thrilled that everyone could join us for Christmas again," said Levana, in a dull tone that said the exact opposite of her words, "though we will likely need to repair the entire kitchen after yesterday's debacle." She raised a cool eyebrow in Maha and Rosie's direction. "Nevertheless, it is Christmas, and the food does smell delicious."

Sybil put an arm around Levana's waist and raised her glass. "Merry Christmas!"

Everyone raised their glasses in return. "Merry Christmas!" they chorused.

The chatter around the table began again, and Ran whispered, "Lame speech. Hope the food is better."

"It will be," Cress confirmed, for she had seen everything that they were about to eat.

Food was passed around and soon they were all stuffing their faces with ham and plenty of sides.

Her end of the table continued with mostly wedding-related conversation, and occasionally shifted to more baby talk. Ran snickered to himself quite a bit and flung food at people with his fork like a little child. Scarlet was quick to jab him in the ribs each time.

Cress stayed quiet for most of the conversation, like she normally did at big events like this, and found herself checking the entrance to the dining room constantly. It was luckily on the opposite side of the table, so all she had to do was glance up from time to time and pretend to be observing any of the parents. Once, Ze'ev caught her looking and winked at her. This made her smile; Ze'ev was never too open with his feelings, and she was always happy to be on the receiving end of his affection when he offered it.

Around the time when everyone was getting seconds, Thorne finally appeared in the doorway, but it was Levana who first noticed him. She had just returned from the bathroom, and she let out a shrill laugh that quieted the whole table as he came in behind her. "Look who I found sulking in the hallway." Her eyes found Cress and her lips twisted into a cruel smile. "Doesn't always look so put together after all, does he?"

Levana was right about one thing. Thorne, who came to stand next to her, definitely did not look so put together for once. He had changed into dress pants for dinner, but his shirt was completely unbuttoned, revealing a plain white T-shirt underneath. His sleeves were only rolled up on one side and he wore no tie. His hair was so wet it looked like he had just stepped out of the shower.

He cleared his throat as Levana laughed again and took a seat, leaving Thorne standing awkwardly by himself.

"Um—hello," he said, glancing down at his feet. "I don't mean to interrupt your dinner, but I'd like to apologize for my behavior earlier. I was careless while taking my painkillers. I'm afraid I had too much to drink under the circumstances. I'm still a little out of it but I took a nap, showered, and then had a cup of coffee in the kitchen just now." He gestured sheepishly at his clothes. "And, as you can see, I'm not quite able to dress myself without the proper use of my right hand."

A few people in the room laughed.

"That's okay, sweetie," said Rosemary, turning to look at Cress rather than at Thorne. "You've had a rough day." She widened her eyes at Cress as if urging her to say something.

Cress remained silent.

"Thanks, Rosie, but I'd like to apologize to Cress, actually," said Thorne. He lifted his eyes off the floor and fixed them determinedly on Cress. It was her turn to look down. "You see, I've had a chance to replay what I said earlier. In my mind, I was complimenting Cress, trying to confess to her exactly how pretty I think she is"—Cress glanced up to see Thorne still staring intently at her—"but I'm afraid it somehow came out all wrong. By trying to give examples of why I thought that, I think I ended up complimenting everyone _except_ her, and that was the opposite of what I wanted."

Thorne began walking around the table slowly, passing everyone but keeping his eyes fixed on her. She wanted to squirm in her chair but felt pinned in place by his eyes. When he reached her, he pulled at the corner of her chair and twisted it until her legs were facing him instead of the table. Then he sank down on one knee and took her hand and kissed it. Though she was hyper aware that everyone was watching them, it was hard not to swoon a little.

"I'm so sorry, Cress. I know I made you feel bad and embarrassed you in front of your family. I'm such an idiot." He gave her a crooked smile. "But you probably already knew that about me."

"Aww, forgive him, Cress," said Winter.

"Don't forgive him," said Ran. "That would be highly entertaining.

"What on earth is he talking about?" said Sybil.

"Shhh," said Rosie.

"I love you for _you_ ," Thorne continued, inching forward, as if to block out the rest of the family. He lowered his voice. "I'm sorry it all came out wrong. Please forgive me. Please believe that you're my number one girl and always will be."

His face looked so sincere and apologetic at the same time, it was hard _not_ to believe him. And with the pressure of her family watching and her need to keep their cover, there was no way she couldn't forgive him. It was the right thing to do in this situation.

"Of course I forgive you."

His face brightened into a smile instantly. He kissed the top of her hand again, then shifted onto both his knees to give her a quick kiss on the lips. She moved her head ever so slightly, though, and his lips landed an inch away from them, on the side of her mouth. She doubted anyone but two of them noticed with the way her hair fell in front of her face.

A few people cheered at their kiss and then dissolved again into the deafening chatter from before.

Thorne slid into the chair next to her with a sly grin. "So what did I miss?"

"Like it matters," she said under her breath.

Thorne's grin froze, but he recovered quickly.

"Would you like some ham?" asked Winter.

"No thanks," said Thorne without missing a beat. "I'm still rather queasy."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"I deserve it." Thorne reached forward and grabbed the little bag of chocolates from Maha, looking like he was inspecting its contents.

"Dude, you were _hilarious_ ," said Ran. "That was so epic. You hit on _Aunt Rosie_."

Cress glared mutinously at Ran as Thorne cringed.

Jacin leaned forward on his elbows. "You know, the first time I met Cress's parents, I spilled soup all over my lap at dinner. I had to change and put on a pair of Sage's pants. It wasn't my finest moment."

Winter's musical laugh reverberated around the table. "Oh stars, that was _too_ funny."

"Really?" said Cress. Her dad was much shorter and more squat than Jacin. The image of him wearing her father's old jeans was enough to put a small smile on her face.

"Ze'ev ran into the glass door the first time he came to my house," said Scarlet with a grin.

"Of course he did," said Ran in a saccharine voice. "Because he couldn't keep his eyes off _you_." He fluttered his eyelashes sarcastically at Scarlet, then groaned. "Ugh, and now you're going to have a little one of you running around. Kill me."

"That's enough, Ran," Ze'ev growled.

Luckily, the two of them started hurling insults at each other, so the conversation took a big turn away from Thorne, with Scarlet jumping in to defend Ze'ev and Jacin rolling his eyes like he usually did.

Cress pretended to eat the green beans on her plate, picking at them with her fork. In reality, she had lost her appetite.

Thorne, for once, was extremely quiet. From time to time, he would catch Cress's eye and shoot her a hopeful smile. She would quickly look away and examine her fingernails.

Anything to keep him from seeing how she really felt.


	22. Chapter 22

"Cress, you've hardly touched your plate."

Cress looked up vacantly from her dessert plate, on which she had piled a raspberry-chocolate Yule log cake, but left uneaten. She had been too busy thinking, stewing, and planning.

Thinking about Thorne and how infuriatingly charming he was in all of his stupid, well-practiced words.

Stewing about the fact that beneath her anger there was still hurt.

Planning how she would subtly ignore him the rest of the evening.

The planning part was not coming along easily—at least not the subtle part of it. She had managed to brush off Thorne's attempts to strike up conversation with her, but she was having difficulty keeping it up. Whenever she shut him down, he would turn to the rest of the table and say something funny, at which point she would have to stop herself from smiling. He didn't deserve her smiles.

Scarlet gestured at Cress's full plate.

"I'm not hungry anymore," she said, shrugging.

Next to Thorne, Ran snorted. "Sure you're not. You've been staring at your plate for like, the last hour. You've gone anorexic on us, haven't you? Drooling over your food but not eating it."

Cress set her jaw. "Excuse me?"

He crossed his arms. "You heard me."

"That's not true at all—"

Ran made the _blah, blah, blah_ motion with his hand as he cut her off. "Save it. I can't be the only one at this table who's ever wondered why you remain as skinny as you were in middle school." Her mouth dropped open as he pointed at her plate. "Exhibit one, ladies and gentleman."

"Shut up." Thorne shifted in his chair to face Ran. "You're such an asshole. What's _wrong_ with you?"

A hush fell over their section of the table. Cress reached out quickly to touch Thorne for the first time since she'd started ignoring him. Upset as she was, she didn't need her fake boyfriend swearing at members of her family—even ones as horrible as Ran. "Carswell, don't—"

He shrugged her away. "No. You're going to apologize to my girlfriend immediately."

Ran made an indignant face and waved in Cress's direction. "Oh, come _on_ , man. You know she's way too skinny."

"No, she isn't," said Winter. "Cress is perfect the way she is."

"Exactly," said Thorne, leaning back in his chair and grabbing his glass of wine. He took a sip, seemed to reconsider, then put it down as if it contained poison.

"She's always been thin," Winter continued. "And you should never joke about that sort of thing, Ran."

"Cress knows not to take anything Ran says seriously," said Ze'ev quietly.

"I don't care," said Thorne. "Apologize."

"Stop speaking for me!" Cress burst out. "I can defend myself." Her remark was met with six faces full of doubt, which only angered her more. "You," she said, taking a stab of her cake with her fork and pointing it accusatorily at Ran, "have always been my least favorite cousin." She shoved the satisfyingly large piece of cake into her mouth and chewed indignantly.

"You're my least favorite cousin too," said Thorne with a scowl.

"Oh, eff off, both of you."

Everyone else looked uncomfortably at each other.

"I, for one," said Thorne, turning to Cress, "have always thought that Cress's size is one of the most endearing things about her. She _is_ tiny—bite-sized really." His face lit up with a dopey, teasing grin. "I mean that in the most flattering way possible. Bite-sized things are great. Like those bite-sized Halloween candies. Everyone always wants more of them."

"You should have quit at endearing," said Scarlet.

"What? Cress loves my humor." He reached out and tickled her side. She screeched in surprise but her mouth was full of cake.

Brownish-red goop sprayed onto her plate and her aunts' pristine white tablecloth.

Thorne swore under his break. "Oops, sorry, Cress."

The table fell silent again. Not even Ran dared laugh, but Cress's entire body turned red from humiliation. She resisted the urge to run away, though, like she might have in her younger years. She would not give anyone that satisfaction. She wiped up the bits of food with her napkin, trying to pretend like she thought it was no big deal.

When she had finished, she excused herself from the table.

As soon as she reached the kitchen, she said, "Stop following me."

There was no point in turning around; she had heard Thorne excuse himself right after her. She dropped her dirty napkin into the sink and stayed facing it when she didn't hear footsteps leaving the room.

"Cress."

She closed her eyes.

"Cress, I'm sorry," said Thorne, coming up behind her. His fingertips brushed her left shoulder and then settled against her waist.

She tried not to think about the fact that his body was so close to hers, that she could feel his chest against her back, that his proximity made her dizzy with sudden want.

It didn't matter how her body reacted to him. He had lied to her. None of it was real. The kiss had been as fake as the rest of the weekend. She was silly to have entertained the idea of something more for even an instant.

He was always, always pretending.

"I didn't mean to make you spray cake everywhere," he said, his warm breath hitting the top of her head. "I was mad at Ran and not thinking."

She turned around so abruptly that she nearly butted her head into his. "You think this is about cake?!"

He blinked in surprise at her outburst. "But I thought—"

"You thought I was as dumb as my family?" She pressed her lips and reconsidered. "I don't mean my family is dumb. I just mean— _ugh_ —" It was hard to get on top of an argument when she wasn't able to put conviction into what she was saying. "I know why you're here!" she whisper-shouted. "I hired you, remember?"

He scratched his head. "Yes…"

"So I know a fake apology when I see one!"

Understanding lit up Thorne's features. At least he had finally caught on. "It was orchestrated ahead of time, perhaps, in the privacy of the shower stall, yes," he said, a slight smirk appearing on his lips, "but that doesn't mean it was fake."

"Oh please."

"Perhaps the word choice was rather elaborate, but the intent of it was there."

"Stop smirking!"

His face fell. "Just trying to lighten the mood. I meant what I said about drinking too much and saying dumb things. I was trying to compliment you."

"Sure you were."

"Sure I was." He placed a hand on the edge of the sink and leaned toward her. " _Beautiful_."

She arched back slightly, trying to keep more than an inch between their faces. He smelled like cologne and cake and apologies and desire.

"Hello, friends."

Cress's eyes flicked past Thorne's face to see Winter saunter into the kitchen with a stack of plates. Thorne ignored her, keeping his eyes trained on Cress. She wet her lips, trying to remember that she had fake forgiven her fake boyfriend. "Hi, Winter."

"What are you two lovebirds up to?" She practically skipped over to the sink and dropped the plates into it, forcing Thorne to remove his arm by default to make space for her.

He straightened, then, creating more space between him and Cress and cleared his throat. "I was just going to ask Cress to help me with my buttons." He shook his head with a grin, like he was a silly person for not being able to do it himself.

Something about the way he was grinning at Winter made Cress roll her eyes. "Button them yourself."

"Cress!" said Winter.

"What?" said Cress defensively. "He can do it himself."

"I really can't," said Thorne, holding up his splinted hand.

"You're being silly, Cress," said Winter with a lilt in her voice. "I'll help you Carswell," she continued, raising an eyebrow disapprovingly at her sister. Winter stepped between the two of them and rubbed her hands together.

Cress watched, frozen, as Winter's deft fingers reached for Thorne's open shirt. In no time, she was closing each button with a kind smile on her face.

Thorne looked vaguely over Winter's curly hair, seeming flustered and speechless for once.

"There," said Winter, giving Thorne a pat on the cheek. "Just as handsome as ever."

"Thanks," said Thorne.

He took a step back from Winter, but she giggled and closed the gap between them once more. "I've forgotten your collar," she said, reaching up. Her face was so close to him now, almost as close as Thorne's had been to Cress's only moments ago. Winter scrunched up her lip in concentration and folded over his collar, then shook her head and re-adjusted it.

A thick curl brushed against Thorne's cheek.

The green monster inside Cress reared its ugly head.

"Just as handsome as _ever_ ," she drawled, then stormed out of the room.

"Cress!" she heard Thorne call after her.

She wanted to go to her room, but her room was Thorne's room, and he would certainly follow her and want to talk about it more. Talking was bad. Talking could unearth things that she didn't even want to admit to herself.

She returned to the living room, instead, where everyone was now beginning to stand up and gather dishes together. They room was still abuzz with the happy babble that normally accompanied the end of a Christmas meal. She joined them, picking up whatever was in front of her blindly, but trying to remain in the living room. Anything but go back into the kitchen where her imagination taunted her with thoughts of what Winter and Thorne might be doing together.

She approached Jacin instead.

"What's up, Shortcake?" he said. He was blowing out the candles on their side of the table. "You okay?"

"Sure," she said, allowing herself to smile. "Why shouldn't I be okay?"

"You seemed down during dinner."

She was surprised he had noticed, but was grateful nonetheless. She made her voice casual. "Just had a lot on my mind."

"You need someone to talk to?"

Cress glanced around her. Everyone was minding their own business. Winter and Thorne were nowhere in sight. "Don't you, uh, need to go find Winter or something?"

Jacin blew out the last candle, but then raised an eyebrow at her. "No?"

"Okay, sure. Yeah, let's talk." She eyed all of her relatives around them. "But…in private."

He shrugged. "If that's helpful."

"It is."

She then did something that she never thought she'd ever do: she grabbed Jacin by the hand. That was normal, after all, for a girl and her future brother-in-law, wasn't it? Nothing suspicious about dragging her sister's fiancé out of the dining room and towards the living room.

They passed the kitchen, where Winter was still chatting up Thorne. He paused in mid-sentence at the sight of Cress.

"Babe, I'm going to chat with Cress for a bit!" Jacin called over his shoulder.

"Okay!" she heard Winter call, and Cress gritted her teeth.

Cress dragged Jacin all the way to the couch over by the fireplace, the one only for two people, on the other side of the sectional. He sat down slowly, looking concerned and a bit weary. "Uh, what's going on, Cress?"

Cress sucked in a breath. Now that she had him here she had to do something, say something. She tried to think of what she might say to him, but really she had only wanted to make Thorne jealous, and who knew what he was thinking? Winter hadn't even been the slightest bit concerned either when she'd seen Cress walk by with Jacin in tow. Of course she wouldn't be. She had no reason to be insecure and resentful like Cress.

"It's…well…" She wrung her hands in her lap.

"Is this about Carswell?" Jacin asked.

Cress looked over at him sitting next to her, at the hint of concern in his blue-gray eyes. She swept her gaze over his appearance. He was always impeccably well put together, probably more due to Winter's influence than of his own doing. Winter had always been the fashionable one, with Jacin trying to keep up.

His presence next to her was strange and unfamiliar, though comforting and so familiar at the same time. It had been too long since they had sat next to each other, poring over the flashcards she'd made them, teasing each other when they got half of them wrong.

Suddenly, she had the urge to tell him everything.

That she had made those flashcards because she liked him. That she had thought he was flirting with her the whole time. That she'd fallen for him hard. That he shouldn't play with hearts that way. That she had been distant because she'd needed to get over him. That she was still uncomfortable with him being together with Winter. That Winter should keep her hands to herself when it came to Thorne. That she'd started to fall for Thorne. That Thorne liked Winter better than her. That she had absolutely no idea what do with herself now.

She couldn't tell him any of those things. But she could tell half-truths—the way that she'd been telling half-truths since Winter and Jacin had gotten engaged.

"It's a long story," she started, taking a breath.

His eyes crinkled at the beginning of a smile. "It's been a long time since we've talked."

"It has, hasn't it?"

"We've missed you."

Cress paused on the word _we_. Of course he had said _we_. Jacin had just reminded her that he was incapable of separating his friendship with Cress from his relationship with Winter.

"There you are!"

Both Cress and Jacin looked up to see Thorne jogging into the room. "Been looking all over for you, sweetheart."

Cress scowled.

Thorne stopped in front of them and smiled broadly. "I need to borrow my girl. You understand, eh chap?"

"Chap?" said Jacin.

Thorne stooped down and wrapped an arm around Cress, pulled, and lifted her off the couch. With a grunt and an " _ow_ ," he lifted her even more and before she could stop it, he had managed to sling her over his shoulder.

Cress cried out in surprise, her body flipflopping against gravity. She blinked, her face dangerously close to hitting his butt as her legs almost slipped out of his grasp.

Thorne shifted—and so did his butt—adjusting her weight on his shoulder and holding on to her legs tightly. "Aces. That was harder than I thought with only one hand."

"Put me down, Carswell," said Cress firmly.

"No can do," he said cheerily. "You and I have some business to attend to." He bent his knees and gave a bow, making Cress tip upward. "Jacin, it's been a pleasure."

"Carswell," said Cress.

Thorne ignored her, spun around, and began to walk out of the living room. Cress tried to lift her head to see Jacin, but she could only make out the carpet. She groaned in frustration, but Thorne did not let her down.

The carpet changed to linoleum, then tile. Then he was carrying her up the stairs.

"This is ridiculous, Thorne," she said.

"What's that?" he said. "I can't hear you over all the romance I'm putting down."

"You think this is romantic?" she said.

"Deny it all you want. Your inability to admit how romantic I am just makes me want to try harder," he said, chuckling.

"You should go back to your romance school," she said, giving up and letting her arms dangle. The blood was already fully pooled in her head now, anyway. Maybe that was why she was so concentrated on the way his butt moved when he walked.

Stars, those jeans fit well.

"Romance school?" He let out a deep, throaty laugh that Cress could feel in her hips. "This is all me, baby."

"Baby, babe, sweatheart, honey," said Cress. "Good to know you forgot my name again."

The laughter turned into a growl. His grip tightened on the backs of her knees as he tried to open their door. "I have half a mind to throw you in the shower with your clothes on and turn on the water until you cool down."

"Oh really?" she said, ready to fight him.

"Yeah," he said, entering the room. He walked right past the bathroom, though. "Except I'm not the jerk you seem to think I am." He dropped her roughly on the bed, and she landed with a flop and a small shriek.

Cress scrambled off it, trying to reclaim the feel of regular gravity.

He pointed his finger at her, retracted it, opened his mouth, shut it, extended his palm, then put his hand on his hip defiantly. His cheeriness had completely fallen away.

She crossed her arms, waiting. She noticed that his shirt was not tucked in, so at least Winter had not put her hands…elsewhere.

"What are you _thinking_ , holding Jacin's hand?" he finally said.

She huffed. "Not like anyone noticed."

" _I_ noticed."

"Like you said, it's your _job_ to notice everything."

"At least I noticed," he said, more quietly this time. "Unlike anyone else."

" _Jacin_ did. _He_ asked me what was wrong. _He_ offered to talk to me about what was wrong."

Thorne nodded his head. "How fan-flipping-tastic. You're back to being best buddies with Jacin, then? The guy who made you so miserable you hired me? Shall we cancel the rest of the weekend? Want to send me home now so you can run back to be at Jacin's beck and call, pretending like he's not marrying your sister?"

"That would be great! At least then I won't go bankrupt after this blizzard strands us here tomorrow and I'm stuck paying your overtime fees! As if $4,000 isn't enough!"

She ran over to her suitcase, flipped it open, and grabbed the thick envelope of cash she'd hidden in there once she'd arrived at the cabin. It had the second half of his payment, $2000, which was due to tomorrow, plus $400 more. "Here! Take your money!"

She threw it at his feet, and he flinched when it landed right in front of him. The cash fell and scattered out of the envelope. "I included the 20% tip, as was recommended on your website, but I'll need to take that back now. I can't afford"—her voice choked up—"I can't afford any of this. Let alone overtime fees."

Thorne looked down at the money for a moment, while Cress stood shaking by her suitcase, trying so hard not to cry. She regretted her outburst, but there was no way to take back what she'd said now. It wasn't really Thorne's fault that the weather sucked, or that Jacin was the way he was, or that the prices to rent a companion were unreasonable.

The only thing she could really blame him for was that he'd lied to her, so she clung to that with all her might.

Thorne stepped over the cash and came to stand a few feet away from her, a sad look on his face. "I'm not going to charge you because a blizzard got us stuck here. I mean, technically I could but I'm not cruel. Is that the impression I give off? That I'm cruel? Heartless?"

She knew Thorne was upset, and after the way she'd yelled at him, she knew he had every right to be—but his earnestness and dejected disposition were altogether unexpected.

So was the fact that he wouldn't charge her.

Her heart hurt.

"No," she mumbled, unable to meet his eyes. "I've actually noticed that you're…quite kind and...and considerate. More so than I already thought, it seems. I thought… _think_ you have a big heart. I don't think you're the kind of person who should need a job to feel like he's worthy of respect."

His silence made her look up nervously.

"Really?" he said.

His shock at her confession turned her around. But she quickly regained her resolve. "But—but you lied to me! You _lied_ to me."

Thorne sighed. "Is this about what I said in front of your family? About—about Winter?"

"Of course it is!"

"I explained that, though, in the kitchen. I didn't mean it. Everything came out wrong. I was trying to compliment _you_."

"So you can look me in the eye, with an honest heart, and tell me that you don't think Winter is hot?"

He took a step back and sat down on the bed. Hanging his head, he said, "No, I can't do that."

"I knew it!"

"It's not what you think, Cress," he said, lifting his eyes to meet hers again. "I objectively think she's hot. Like…the way you notice a celebrity on TV is hot. It doesn't mean anything."

Cress shook her head. "It means something to _me_."

He stood up again. "Why? Tell me why. Is it because of your self-esteem or is it because you're jealous?"

"It's one and the same, isn't it?"

"That's not what I meant. I meant—" He rubbed the back of his neck. "Nevermind."

"You should have told me the truth on Friday. When I asked about what you thought of her. I was vulnerable with you and you—you lied."

Thorne looked completely miserable as he took another step toward her. "Cress. I had just met you. You were my client and I saw how unhappy you were, comparing yourself to her, and I wanted to make you feel better. I knew if I told you that I thought she was hot, you would get upset. You would have thought I was drooling after her like all the other guys, when I wasn't."

"So instead you lied to me and told me that I was the perfect combination of"—her voice hitched—"of sexy and adorable."

"I wasn't lying about that. I did— _do_ —think you're the perfect combination of—"

"Just stop."

Thorne pressed his lips together, then shook his head. He stooped down and began to collect the money, but with only one hand to do so, it took an agonizingly slow time. She watched him struggle, guilt-ridden and heartbroken.

When he righted himself, he extended the envelope back to her. In a professional-sounding voice, he said, "I see that I haven't met your expectations. I do wish to satisfy my clients, so here, keep this with my sincerest apologies."

Cress took the envelope with a shaky hand. "W-what?"

"I don't think I'll be able to get a cab all the way out here at this hour, or with this snow, but—"

"Wait, you're leaving me?"

He hesitated. "Isn't that…what you want?"

"No!"

Thorne's brow wrinkled. "Then what do you want?"

 _I want you to like me_ , she wanted to cry. _I want you to pick me over Winter. I don't want you to give up on me like everyone else does._

To Thorne, trying to steady her voice, she said, "I just want to get through the rest of this weekend. I still want everyone to think I have the perfect boyfriend." She pushed the envelope back into his hands. "I'm sorry. I got too—too emotionally involved."

Thorne cocked his head to the side, considering her. He looked from the envelope to her and then back down at the envelope, before setting it against the mirror on the dresser. "I'm here as long as you want me to be, Cress. My whole goal is for this weekend to be about you. To make _you_ feel good. That means I want to make this work if you're still willing to try. I can't do that if I don't know what you're thinking."

 _Make this work_. She understood what he meant, but the reality of what it meant made her want to let out a delirious laugh. She made air quotes instead. "Make this work. Make me feel good." She sighed. "Make it all up."

Thorne shifted on his feet. "That was the deal."

"Until you fell for Winter."

Thorne groaned, actually rocking back on his heels and staring at the ceiling. "Here we go again."

"Yes, here we go again. Didn't you just say that you wanted me to say what I'm thinking?"

"All right, let's have it." He breathed out heavily from his nose, like he was suppressing another groan. "Freak out, sweetheart."

Cress remembered when he had used the same line on her in the bathroom on the first night, when she had almost changed her mind about introducing Thorne to her family. It seemed like ages ago. Her eyes landed on the envelope of cash on the dresser. "You won't leave if I do?"

"No."

She took a deep breath. "What I'm thinking is that I hired you! You're supposed to be making _me_ feel good. But even when I _pay_ , you can't keep your eyes from wandering, can you?" Tittering, she approached him once more, unable to keep the green monster from showing its face. "You're so handsome, Carswell. Why don't I button your shirt for you 'cuz poor little Cress can't even take care of her fake boyfriend? Tee-hee-hee." She tried to rake her hands up Thorne's chest in an imitation of Winter, but they didn't slide smoothly against the fabric of his shirt.

"What exactly are you doing?"

She dropped her hands. "Imitating Winter," she mumbled. She stared at his body in front of her, then hated herself for how much she loved it. Her lip trembled. "You wish now that Winter was your client, don't you? Then you could spend your weekend kissing her. "

Thorne threw his arms up. "You think you've got me all figured out, don't you?" His voice had finally raised to the point of exasperation. "Well, allow me to set the record straight. Yes, you're right. I do wish Winter was my client, okay?"

His confession stung more than she imagined it would.

"You want to know why?"

"I already—"

"I don't think about my clients as potential love interests. They may be attractive, like Winter," he stopped and said very pointedly, "or like _you_. But it doesn't go beyond that for me. I have a very strict line between my professional life and my personal life that I've never broken. These types of weekends for me are money makers, Cress. It's as if I clock in at 9:00 am and I clock out at 5:00 pm, like a regular job. I'm the guy from 1-800-CAPTAIN from nine to five. The next day, I do it again. Only it's a new office and a new boss."

He rubbed his uninjured hand across his forehead. "Winter is the same as the rest of them. She's hot, but she means absolutely nothing to me, and after this weekend is over she'll become a blurry face with the rest of my clients that aren't regulars."

"R-Regulars?"

"Yes, regulars. Women that keep hiring me from time to time to keep up the illusion that I'm still with them. And with those women, of course I remember their faces and know their names and try to write down whatever thing it is that's going to make them happy over the next woman, but that's _all_ it is to me, Cress."

"Oh."

"I lied to you about something else, Cress. The worst part of this job is not having to wear turtlenecks. It's not having the chance to _really_ get to know anyone. It's pretty lonely, even though I'm around people all the time. But it's been fine. I never wanted anything from my clients besides what we've agreed upon.

"So do I wish Winter were my client? Yes, of course I do. Because then this weekend would be _exactly_ the same as every other weekend. And I wouldn't be stuck feeling terribly guilty right now that I've been having unprofessional thoughts about my client all day—so much so that I made myself look like a complete douchebag in front of her and her family."

Cress blinked, her brain trying to catch up with everything he was saying. She was still on defensive mode, but this, _this_ …

"Not to mention," he continued, "I made her feel horrible when all I really wanted to do was make her feel good. And not because I _had_ to make her feel good. Not because I signed a contract _saying_ that I would. But because I wanted to, because she somehow got in my head in a way that no other client has."

Thorne's eyes filled with intention, and he took a step closer. He was not quite as close as he was in the kitchen, but still close enough to make her heart race—with disbelief, with desire, with nerves. "You mean...you…also?"

"I wish Winter were my client instead of you because then there wouldn't be a professional boundary between me and you. I wouldn't have to censor what I say, think, or want. And aces, Cress, I think I want _you._ "

His hand came up to cup up her cheek. She was trembling again, but now it was because his words were finally sinking in. Her brain tried to battle against them, telling her that they weren't real—that he was still pretending. But her heart buzzed with emotion, wanting to lean into his touch, feeling the way his thumb caressed her skin.

"If you weren't my client," he whispered, "there would be nothing stopping me from doing _this."_

He pulled her mouth to his and all Cress could do was gasp.

Thorne broke away instantly, dropping his hand. "I'm sorry," he said, looking equally devastated and horrified. "I thought for a second, that you— _also_ —I mean, I thought—"

Cress grabbed his shirt once more, drawing his lips back down to hers. This time it was Thorne who gasped, but neither of them pulled away. Rather, Cress tried to pull him closer as his fingers tilted her chin back. He brushed his lips over hers again and again, taking his time to discover them as if he had never kissed her before.

When she was nearly dizzy with desire, she parted her lips, trying not to whine, unable to keep up with his terrible teasing. She felt him smile against her mouth for a heartbeat, and then he _really_ began to kiss her.

And stars, had he been holding out on her.

Goosebumps erupted down her skin even as the temperature in the room seemed to spike a hundred degrees. Where their kiss in the car been filled with heat and force, Thorne kissed her slowly now, deeply and intently, as if he could tell her a thousand silent stories. He made the want inside her boil over and simmer, and she tried to tell him in her own way that she understood, that she was sorry for earlier, that she had been crushing on him all day too, that she wanted this more than he knew.

Cress released his shirt to wrap her arms around him, to feel the inhales and exhales in his muscles, to have his warmth envelop her. He was eager to press the pads of his fingers against the small of her back, which was a relief because she feared her knees might buckle.

The feeling of being wanted, of being desired—it was new and exhilarating and slightly terrifying, but Thorne was right there with her, carrying her through like he had carried her through the whole weekend.

"You're—too—short," he said between kisses.

"You're— _mmm_ —too tall," she said.

Kissing her more fervently, he bent his knees to grab her, hoisting her up toward him. The movement took her by surprise, but she wrapped her legs around his hips to help him, feeling a thrill of excitement shoot down her spine. She held on to the back of his neck, not wanting his mouth to leave hers.

He walked them slowly and unsteadily over to the dresser and sat her down on top of it. "That's better," he said.

She giggled against his lips, her whole body tingling as he pulled her to the very edge of the dresser, trying to get her as close to him as possible. He didn't need to encourage her, though, for Cress was already pressing her knees tightly against his hips again.

She had never thought kissing could be so enjoyable. She had imagined it, sure, but had never thought that it could be a reality for her. Her heart overflowed with joy at the idea that someone—no, not just someone, _Thorne_ —could make her feel this way.

Thorne trailed his fingers over her face, down her neck, across her back, up and down her outer thigh. Once, he muttered angrily about the inability to use his other hand, but Cress pulled on his lip to stop him, wishing she could kiss away his pain.

It didn't take long before Thorne slowed his kisses again, forcing her to take her time too.

He leaned his forehead against hers, breathing heavily. Cress took a moment to steady her breathing too, keeping her eyes closed, not wanting the moment to end.

"Wow," she finally said.

Thorne brushed his nose against hers. "Couldn't have said it better myself."

She pushed gently against Thorne's chest with her hands, but didn't move her legs. Their eyes met and lingered on each other, making Cress smile somewhat bashfully. Thorne's eyes had a glazed look about them. His lips were red and swollen, and Cress ran her tongue over her own to see if they matched.

"Don't do that," said Thorne, a rough edge to his voice, "or we'll need a second round."

Cress gave him a teasing peck. "I wouldn't be opposed to that."

Thorne laughed, his eyes twinkling. But then he groaned and closed his eyes. "As much as I'm enjoying myself, I have to admit that I'm extremely exhausted. I think I need to do something that doesn't make my heart want to leap out of my throat."

Cress placed a hand over his heart, trying to see if his rhythm matched hers, and he placed his hand over hers and gave her a squeeze.

There was one small thing that she had to say before they went back to whatever human beings did after they had kissed themselves silly.

Taking a deep breath, she said, "I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier, Thorne. I was jealous and—and petty. I'm sorry I didn't believe you about Winter. I was going crazy because, well, I've also been thinking about you all day. Trying to figure out when the lines got blurred."

Thorne swept kisses over her each of knuckles. "I hoped that was it."

"It was."

"I hated seeing you with Jacin like that."

"I hoped you would," she admitted.

"That's not very nice."

"No," she said, sighing. "It isn't."

"I'll forgive you if you give me another painkiller."

Cress's eyes widened and she shoved him playfully. "No way! You're not allowed another one for at least another hour. The last overdose had disastrous consequences."

"But my fingers hurt like crazy," Thorne whined.

Cress jumped off the dresser, eliciting another small whine from Thorne, but she grabbed his uninjured hand. "Come on, let's head back downstairs. We can take it easy until it's time to take your meds again. That way, when you do fall asleep, the painkiller will make you sleep like a log. Maybe some more ice will help. Remember the doctor said to ice it a lot while it's still swollen?"

She began to pull him toward the door, but Thorne stopped her. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Easy there. First, I need five minutes to stop thinking about how I want to put you back up on that dresser. And second, I need help unbuttoning my shirt again. If you're going to make me stay up, then I'm going to be in my comfy pajamas."

"I'm thinking that you should probably not wear shirts with buttons for a while."

"I'm thinking you're right."

Cress began to undo his top button.

Thorne let out a frustrated groan. "Well, this certainly isn't helping with the dresser situation."


	23. Chapter 23

They made their way downstairs, hand in hand. As she walked down the staircase once more, she remembered how light and airy she had felt in her red dress, before she had discovered that Winter was wearing the same one. That feeling had been nothing compared to the lightness she felt now. Not only had she kissed Thorne, but she had also, for once, said everything that she had wanted to say. It hadn't been pretty, but Thorne had accepted her words.

And then he had turned them around on her, making her ever-present insecurities sit back for once.

And _stars_ , kissing him had been indescribable. That kiss, not the one on Friday, would go down in history as her real first kiss.

And Thorne had been the one to give it to her.

Her mind wanted to spin out of control and think about every single implication of what they had just done, but she forced her thoughts away and focused on giving Thorne's hand a gentle squeeze. She wanted to enjoy this feeling, where the two of them were safe together in their own shared secrets. And for once, they were secrets she was happy to keep.

"Are you nervous?" said Thorne.

"No. Why?"

"This is usually the part where you get nervous. I know we've had a slight change of…ah, circumstance, but let's just keep everything natural for now."

She wasn't exactly sure what he meant, but if he thought that she was going to tell everyone that she had hired Thorne and then fallen for him, he was probably still doozy from his alcohol and medication.

She squeezed his hand again. "I'm not nervous. I'm happy."

At the bottom of the stairs, Thorne stopped and turned, leaving her on the first step. Before she could walk down it, he let go of her hand and drew her to him by her waist until she was flush against him. The closeness wasn't new, not after everything they had gone through over the weekend, but knowing that he wanted her there, that he was pulling her close because he _wanted_ to pull her close—that feeling was new.

Thorne kissed her rather eagerly, making her arch her back from the pressure of his mouth against hers. One of his legs came up onto her step, and as he bent his knee he also bent her further back. She reached up to wrap her arms around his neck so that she wouldn't fall, but even as she did so, she knew that he would never let that happen.

Thorne pulled away, but only barely. "I'm happy too, Cress."

She smiled and for some reason that made him grin and kiss her again. It didn't take long before she was actually hoping that the two of them would fall against the stairs and she could feel his body against hers the way she had on the dresser. Standing up just wasn't doing the trick.

Even as she thought it, she felt scandalous. But it was a fun kind of scandalous, a feeling that she had only been able to imagine before.

Her imagination really had nothing on Carswell Thorne.

"We should probably join your family," he breathed.

"You're right," she said reluctantly.

She double checked his appearance once she was on level ground with him, happy that they were both just wearing pajamas and there was nothing to button, nothing to smooth out, and nothing to indicate that they had taken a brief kissing break.

Everyone was already sitting in the living room watching a movie, and Cress remembered how she'd felt the first night when everyone had been waiting for them. Her family wasn't really waiting for them now, and she wished that everybody would look up and see how excited she was to have Thorne at her side.

Despite her excitement, there was another feeling bubbling up inside her: nerves at the idea of holding hands with a guy that she liked in front of her dad. She knew he had already accepted Thorne after they left the hospital, but it wasn't the same thing now. Not when they actually liked each other, not when they were about to share the only vacant loveseat left in the room. Since Thorne had said to act natural, there would of course be cuddling.

They had done nothing but cuddle the entire weekend.

Thorne spotted the vacant loveseat at the same time she did, wiggled his eyebrows at her, and then dragged her over there.

She sat down in her part of the couch, stiff and alert. As Thorne sat down next to her, Cress nervously bit her fingernail and surveyed the room, but there still wasn't anyone paying attention to them.

She tried to watch the movie, but could only focus on the way Thorne kept inching closer to her. It was subtle at first, with him shifting his legs so that his knee touched hers, and then not-so-subtle when he yawned loudly and stretched his arms, only to settle one across her shoulders.

Before long, he had turned in his seat entirely. His back was pressed against her chest and her arms were wrapped around his stomach—similar to the way they had sat in the basement on Saturday night. Only she held Thorne this time, and she had no desire to move away now, even if his hair was kind of itchy on the side of her face.

She shifted to move her legs, and as she did, Thorne moved too. He moved completely to the right, stretching out his legs and laying on his side so that his back was against the couch. Cress was forced closer to the edge of the couch, but it only took seconds before Thorne shifted again. He hooked his right leg over hers, placed his injured hand on the other side of her head, and then plopped half of his body on top of hers.

Cress drew in a sharp breath, afraid that he would attempt to make out with her, but in the instant that she thought it, she found he had other plans. He buried his face into the crook of her neck and brushed his lips over her skin a few times.

Cress was frozen in place, waiting for him to do something even more scandalous, but after a few more kisses, he stilled completely. She waited with baited breath, her entire body tense and ready to push him away.

But Thorne did not move at all. In fact, when she tried to crane her neck to get a better look at his face, she managed to see that his eyes were closed.

He was sleeping.

Cress rearranged herself underneath him, so that the half of her body that was still uncovered could support his weight on top of the other side better. The arm that was pressed between her body and his body was already beginning to go numb, but she didn't want to move him. He was too cute this way, with his breath hitting her neck in small, warm intervals and his chest rising and falling against hers.

When she had made the position a little more comfortable, she glanced around again. No one else was in pajamas like they were, but most of them had cozied up with their partner, even the parents. Ran was sitting with his mom, definitely not cuddling, but looking younger and less like the jerk she had called out at dinner.

Ze'ev was absentmindedly stroking Scarlet's belly. Cinder and Kai were whispering to each other while pointing at the screen. Iko and Kinney were making out, though for once trying to be discreet about it. Jacin held Winter like she was the most precious doll in the world.

For a moment, Cress felt that familiar jealousy stirring, but Thorne made a funny noise against her neck, almost like he was snoring. She smiled then, even as she was watching her former crush with her sister. She didn't need to be jealous anymore. Maybe she had never needed to be jealous in the first place. She couldn't erase the last few years of hurt, but she could use this moment to try to move forward without it.

It wouldn't be easy, but something about holding Thorne and listening to him breathe made her want to try. That had been the point in renting Thorne for the weekend, hadn't it? So that she could have a few moments like this, where everything felt like it was going to be okay.

This was what she had wanted for her Christmas this year.

She had never expected her feelings for Thorne to be an additional present.

She settled on playing with his hair, and Thorne made a different noise then, a happy one, and then he was murmuring against her neck to keep doing that.

Cress was more than happy to oblige.

* * *

When it was time for Thorne to take his medicine again, Cress let Thorne doze against her for a little while longer. If he wasn't moaning in pain, then he was probably okay just staying the way he was.

But the movie ended, and soon he was awake and dying to go upstairs. He was polite enough to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and apologize again for ruining the mood earlier. Cress was just as gracious as the rest of her family this time, holding onto Thorne's arm as some of them came over to wish him a good night and less pain the following day.

"We probably won't see you before we leave," said Winter, coming over to give Thorne and Cress a hug. "We have that appointment with our wedding planner. Snow permitting, we'll be gone by seven."

"I had planned to leave early as well," said Thorne, "but I think I'm going to need a bit more sleep tonight." He raised his splint for show. "It's been a long weekend."

"Have fun with your planning," said Cress.

"Take care of yourself, Shortcake," said Jacin. "It was nice to meet you, Carswell."

"Yes, it was wonderful," said Winter. "Maybe we can all get together for New Year's?"

Cress pushed Thorne forward quickly. "I'm not sure. Carswell has that big date planned and everything. We'll let you know!"

She left Winter and Jacin behind them. Even if Thorne returned her feelings, there was so much unknown territory to deal with, and she certainly didn't want to deal with it in front of Winter and Jacin.

Neither of them spoke as they went back upstairs, but Cress began to feel a spiked tension between the two of them.

Once inside their room, Thorne disappeared in the bathroom.

Cress tried to shake out her nerves when she saw the king-size bed.

Forget the loveseat.

She was about to share a _bed_ with someone that she liked who also liked her.

She had shared a bed with him the whole weekend, and he had always been respectful, but this was totally different. She couldn't help but think that she had never kissed a boy—not really—before this weekend, and Thorne was really experienced.

And probably not just at kissing.

What expectations would he have now? Would he think that the two of them would have sex tonight? Was that the natural progression after their heated make out session on the dresser? That was usually what happened in the movies when people finally got together. They were adults, too, and this was a bit like being in a hotel room, with their private bathroom and bed.

And Thorne had said all of those things the other day about kissing his girl's collarbone. It had sounded intense, and she doubted that it ended in merely sleeping. They had both been rather passionate before leaving their room, and then again on the stairs.

And hadn't he said in the car that Cress _owed him_ after breaking his hand?

She swallowed hard and glanced around the room. The money that she had given him was still sitting on the dresser by the mirror. She realized that she didn't know if Thorne was going to give back the money now or if he was still going to keep it. If he was going to keep it, then did that mean that she was still paying him to kiss her?

Her mind raced to her thoughts on the stairs earlier. She had wanted to pull him on top of her. Did he know that she had thought that?

_Oh no._

What if she had been leading him on without knowing it?

Her stomach flipped.

This was all too much at once.

The bathroom door opened and Thorne came out in only his pajama pants. She had seen him without a shirt on so many times this weekend, but seeing him now made her stomach flip even more—with desire, with worry, with uncertainty.

He seemed to take in the sight of Cress standing by the dresser for a moment, then his face brightened into a flirtatious grin. "I see you've had the same thoughts I had." He approached her, still grinning, and dropped the hoodie he was holding onto the ground.

She backed herself into the dresser.

He stopped in front of her, bent like he was going to kiss her, then reached behind her instead to grab his pills off the dresser. Winking, he pressed a chaste kiss on her lips. Then he was walking back to the bathroom, leaving the door open this time. She watched him fill a cup of water and swallow two pills.

"Cress," he said, waving her over, "don't you want to brush your teeth?"

The whole time she brushed her teeth, Thorne stayed behind her, shirtless and holding on to her waist with his uninjured hand. She trembled and tried not to make eye contact with him in the mirror.

"You're so slow," he said, pressing a kiss to her hair. "Come on. Let's get to bed."

Cress spilled toothpaste on her shirt.

He laughed.

They left the bathroom together. Cress practically sprinted into bed, pulling the covers up tight against her and staying as far on her side of the bed as possible. Thorne began to rummage around in the wardrobe.

"W-what are you doing?" she stuttered.

"If I'm going to spend the night with such a beautiful woman, I'm going to need something," he said with his back to her.

Cress's mouth dropped open.

"Got it," he said. He turned around and revealed...

_A t-shirt._

As he put it on, he said, "Why'd you think I was going to try something?"

Mortified, she tried to shrink into her covers. "I—I didn't think that."

He came to his side of the bed and laid down. "You looked like a deer in headlights when I came out of the bathroom. And it was because of me."

"No," she mumbled.

"Cress, I've seen that look on your face a lot this weekend. I know you." He sighed. "I thought we were done keeping secrets from each other."

She cringed. "I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting to kiss you—not _really_ kiss you—this weekend. This is all unexpected. And then I saw the bed and I thought maybe you—I don't know. Maybe you had expectations? You're the expert at this stuff, not me."

"Cress. This is all unexpected for me too. But as the so-called _expert_ , I would say that we're nowhere near the point of me having that expectation. Right now all I can think about is how much I want to fall asleep. Preferably close to you." He met her eyes. "If you wanted me close, that is."

Nodding shyly, Cress turned off the light. "Sorry I overreacted."

"I wouldn't expect anything less of you at this point."

"Hey!" she said, but he laughed.

They gravitated towards each other in the dark, with Thorne reaching for her while she snuggled up to him.

"Wait! Wait!" he said desperately. "My hand!"

He put it above them, safe from contact over his pillow, and soon she found that spooning together under the covers might be even more delightful than making out on a dresser.

As Thorne's breathing quickly evened out again, she counted her lucky stars and drifted off to sleep too, feeling warm and safe and happy.

* * *

There was a knock at the door.

Maybe she had dreamed it. Thorne was snoring lightly in her ear, which was drowning out any other noises, and her mind had probably confused it with a knock.

But no, there it was again. Three light knocks.

Untangling herself from Thorne, she scooted out of bed and tiptoed to the door.

She opened it a crack.

"Hi," whispered her dad.

Cress slipped out into the hallway, taking a moment to adjust to the dim lighting. What time was it even? Why was her dad at their door?

Oh _stars_. Was he coming to check on their sleeping arrangements?

"Sorry to bother you," he said, continuing to whisper. "But the news put out another winter weather warning. They predict another foot before the morning. All businesses are to remain closed until the storm passes. I don't think we'll get plowed out for a while."

"Okay," said Cress groggily.

"It's only midnight. Thought it was better to let you know now so you don't have to wake up so early. Winter and Jacin aren't leaving early in the morning anymore, either."

"Thanks, Dad."

"Merry Christmas, Cress." He wrapped her into a big hug.

Cress hadn't been expecting that, so she stiffened for a moment before relaxing into the embrace. "Merry Christmas, Dad."

He pulled away and looked at the door like he wanted to add something, but seemed to decide against it. He began to walk towards his room.

"Goodnight, Dad," she whispered.

"Goodnight, Cress."

Cress tiptoed back into the room, taking special care not to wake Thorne. She reached his nightstand and grabbed his phone to silence the ringer. There was no need for an early alarm anymore.

As she held down the volume button, her eyes caught on the notifications on his screen. Thorne's phone was password protected, but there were three missed called from 'Luisa'. She had also sent him four text messages.

Luisa.

Who was this Luisa, who would try to reach him so many times on Christmas? A client? A friend? A sister? Did Thorne even have a sister? How could she feel like she knew someone so well while barely knowing anything about him at all?

What if it was a love interest? An ex who wanted him back? Someone who he shown interest in before leaving for work on Friday?

She decided that there was no reason to be paranoid, especially when he had just confessed all those feelings to her. Not when he wanted to be _preferably close to her_ as he fell asleep.

Slipping back into bed, she scooted back until she felt the familiarity of his body once more and, unfortunately, heard his snoring again. But he stirred when she reclaimed her spot, and he grunted and draped his arm over her. She adjusted the pillow and curled against him. He was warm and musky and his shirt was so soft.

Cress hesitantly ran her toe along the base of his foot. Thorne mumbled something and shifted, capturing her foot between the two of his and tightening his grip around her waist. Her shirt had crinkled upward, but his hand stayed over her belly button.

A thousand sensations coursed through her body.

"I'm so glad I called 1-800-CAPTAIN," she whispered.

"Mmm," said Thorne.

"I'll take it that means you're glad too?"

"Mmm."

"You're right," she whispered, more to herself than to him. "We can talk more in the morning."


	24. Chapter 24

When Thorne woke up the next day, the first sensation he felt after the now-familiar throb in his fingers was itchiness in his face. He wrinkled his nose to rid himself of the itch but found that the motion irritated him even more. As he slowly adjusted to his surroundings, his entire body froze when he realized that not only was it Cress's hair that was tickling his face, but that Cress's body was pressed up against his.

For a moment, he was filled with dread at the thought that he had drifted over to her side while he slept. Sharing a bed with a client was not something he did often, though when it did happen on the rare occasion he tried to pretend like it was normal. Accidentally sleep-cuddling with a client had never happened before, and was probably the most unprofessional thing he had ever done in his life.

She breathed in and out underneath his arm, which hung loosely against the small of her back. The dread began to dissipate with each inhale and exhale. They were cuddling because they both _wanted_ to cuddle.

Because she had reciprocated his feelings the night before.

Because they had fallen asleep like this.

Because at some point during the night she had rolled over to face him, and he had drawn her to him by her hip and given her lazy kisses until they had fallen asleep again.

The thought made him smile, which in turn made her hair nearly get stuck in his mouth. He blew air at it to get it away from his lips. She was much shorter than him, so her face was pressed into the dip of his collarbone, the top of her head and hair on his pillow and against his face.

It hadn't even occurred to him that they had shared one pillow throughout the night. It made something warm bubble in his chest. It seemed like such an intimate thing to him, especially when he was always sure to keep his distance with things that were meant to be kept private, like pillows.

He tried to replay the weekend in his mind and wondered how it had come to this. Despite the warmth he felt, there was still the lingering sense of panic, this time not because he thought he had mistakenly rolled over to her side during the night, but because he had no idea where this left them.

What if she woke up and regretted kissing him?

What then?

And if she didn't regret it, was it worth pursuing some sort of relationship with her when he professionally dated women?

Did he want a relationship?

Cress stirred, maybe because he was blowing into her hair, but the movement drowned out the uncertainties and insecurities inside of him. He found that all he wanted to do was fully enjoy the fact that Cress was lying willingly in his arms.

Cress, who he had only just met three days ago. Cress, who had somehow affected him more than any other client before. Cress, with her scattered freckles and blue eyes and kind heart and soft lips.

Sliding his body down the bed, he captured those soft lips with his mouth. It only took a few pecks before Cress began to reciprocate. Her hand slid over his rib and dug into his back, claiming him as much as he was claiming her.

It didn't take long before he pulled at her thigh and she slipped her leg over his hip—but that wasn't close enough, not at all, and then Cress was on top of him, shy and bold at the same time, and all he could think about was how there was nothing else he would rather be doing on the morning after Christmas.

He wanted to flip them over and get better access to her neck but that would never work with his injured hand and this way he could just lie back and...

 _Oh_.

Cress was discovering _his_ neck and growing more and more confident with each kiss, and stars, that felt _good_ , and he was so tempted to pull off his shirt so she could go exploring. And then his hand was coming up and guiding her face back to his because he wanted to communicate this to her and let her know she was making him feel beyond good and he wanted to make her feel the same.

She pulled away, though, after a fiery-hot kiss threatened to make his heart burst.

It was all Thorne could do not to whine. "You okay?" he said breathlessly. He reached up to stroke her cheek.

It took her a moment to catch her breath as well. "Was that...? I mean…" She sat back and rested her palms on his chest. He saw a blush rise on her cheeks and had to grin as she avoided eye contact.

"I loved it," he said.

Her eyes shyly met his.

Adding some cockiness to his tone, he said, "You're almost as good as me. _Almost_." He sat up with a wicked grin, moving her naturally into his lap, ready to show off his skills.

She drew in a sharp breath of surprise at the sudden change in movement, but then he could practically feel her eyes roll back in her head as his lips met the exact spot he had promised to kiss if she were his girl.

He would make her believe that she was the most desirable girl in the world.

"I never...had any doubt," she said, letting out a soft whimper." She ran her fingers up the back of his neck.

He opened his eyes briefly at the feel of her playing with his hair, which was quickly becoming one of his favorite things, and caught sight of them in the mirror: Cress wrapped up against him with her head tilted back as he worked on her clavicle, a thin sheet tangled over their legs.

His eyes caught on the money on the dresser.

Thorne stopped kissing Cress.

"I could do this all morning," he said almost painfully, not adding that he could do it all day too, "but we should probably get something to eat. What time is it even?" He glanced at the window, which had rays of sunlight beaming through the sides of the drapes. His alarm hadn't gone off, but he knew he had set it for 7:00 a.m. It couldn't be before 7:00 a.m.

Cress pressed a needy kiss against his mouth. "You're worrying about the time? Don't." She kissed him again. "I turned off your alarm in the middle of the night. We're snowed in."

Thorne wrinkled his brow. "We are?"

"I haven't gone outside to actually check," said Cress, sounding a little disappointed. "I thought you'd be happy. We can spend more time together today."

Thorne tried to hug her as tightly as he could with one arm. "I am happy. I thought I told you that yesterday."

"Can't we just stay in bed all day then?"

Thorne groaned. "I wish."

Cress climbed off of him and snuggled up to her own pillow. She stared at him with big eyes until he was even more tempted to rethink his decision to be responsible. Instead, he gave himself a few minutes to recover and then got out of bed.

He walked over to the dresser and picked up the envelope of cash. He remembered how greedily he had accepted the first envelope at his house on Friday. It was the best thing about this business. Money was extremely easy to come by—a lot of money.

"I want you to have this," he said, holding out the envelope to her. "It's not right for me to keep it after everything that's happened."

Cress untucked herself and came to stand in front of him in her pajama pants and tank top, suddenly shy and unsure again.

"I mean it," he said. "Take it."

"Really?"

"Really."

Cress smiled then, so bright and so full of joy that the envelope was quickly forgotten after it fell to the ground when he reached for her again.

* * *

By the time they made it downstairs, it was nearly eleven.

The voices coming from the kitchen put Thorne's radar for stressed out families on high alert. Hearing them fighting made him nervous for the second time that weekend. The first time he had hoped that he hadn't ruined everything during his brief alcohol-meets-medicine idiocy. Now, it was because he actually had something to lose if they didn't like him.

Thorne never got nervous. The fact that he was made the uncomfortable feeling intensify.

"I did call the snowplow company! They can't be here for at least another hour. Why don't you get all of the men in this family together to start shoveling?"

"Sybil, you need to calm down."

"I have nothing to calm down about. We opened up our home to you and you've overstayed your welcome. Levana has such a headache that she has to rest."

There was a snort, and Thorne was pretty sure it came from Rosie. "Don't be so dramatic, Sybil. Most of us were planning on staying here until tomorrow anyway. It's just the children who were leaving this morning."

"Children! More like large, oversized—"

"Good morning," Thorne chirped, stepping into the kitchen with a smile plastered on his face. "What a beautiful day, isn't it, with all this snow and the sun shining down on us?"

Sybil huffed while Rosie beamed.

"The two lovebirds are finally awake!" she cooed, her smile stretching from ear to ear before she placed a kiss on Thorne's cheek. "How's your hand, sweetie?"

"The same," he said, stepping aside so Rosie could hug Cress, who was turning red.

"We're not _lovebirds_ ," Cress insisted as her mom tittered. "Dad said we could sleep in, so we did."

In any other circumstance, Thorne would've laughed at how unconvincing she sounded, especially as her cheeks grew brighter. But he had gotten to know Cress, and knew that she didn't need teasing right now. So he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and pretended like he had just woken up five minutes ago.

Cinder, who was sitting at the center island, shot a cursory glance at Thorne, like she knew what he was up to. He wiggled his eyebrows at her.

"I think Cress is looking a little more flushed than usual this morning," she said into her coffee mug. Thorne wasn't sure if anyone else heard her, but if Cress did, she didn't show it.

Thorne took a seat next to Cinder. "Kai propose yet?"

That sent her sputtering into her mug.

Satisfied, Thorne pulled out the other chair for Cress. "Come sit by me, beautiful."

Cress's dad, who was sitting on the other side of the island next to where Rosie was standing, watched Cress as she made her way to him. Getting that same feeling of nervousness again, Thorne looked around the rest of the room until his eyes landed on most of the cousins sitting at the kitchen table. Kai was nowhere to be found, and neither was Levana or Liam.

Thorne reached for the coffee pot at the center of the island. He poured Cress a cup and then began to fill up his own mug.

The phone in his back pocket vibrated.

He snatched it up and resisted the urge to groan when he saw that Luisa was calling him again. He had seen more of her missed calls and text messages from this morning when he'd finally had a chance to look at his phone while Cress was in the shower.

He couldn't believe that she had called him on Christmas, and not just once but several times. She was one of his regulars, and they had a date coming up for New Year's Eve, but she didn't need to be calling him on Christmas.

"I've gotta take this," he said to Cress, pointing at his phone. He gave her a quick kiss. "I'll be right back."

Thorne left the kitchen in a hurry and turned right, passing the bathroom and continuing down a hallway that he was unfamiliar with. He walked as far as he could until he was convinced that the rest of the family wouldn't be able to hear his conversation.

"1-800-CAPTAIN," he drawled. "This is the Captain speaking."

"It's _Luisa_ , Thorne," said Luisa's pouty voice. "Didn't I make you program my number into your phone the last time we were together?"

Thorne rolled his eyes. She had given him a big tip for doing that, but it had actually been helpful yesterday when his phone had rung and he had been able to ignore her. "Of course, darling. I still have to act professional when I answer my business phone."

"You know you don't have to act professional around me, baby."

"Thanks for the reminder. How can I be at your service on this beautiful morning?"

"I wanted to update you about New Year's. My ex-boyfriend is bringing his slut girlfriend with him to my work party now, so we're going to need to step up the PDA. I want you drooling all over me. Act like you're ready to take me anytime he comes around."

Thorne stepped into a room that looked like an old coat room, complete with a tattered ottoman where one could sit to put on their shoes. "You know I don't do that many open mouth kisses, Luisa. Especially with regulars. He's already seen us together, so he knows—"

"I know about your dumb rules. I also know that you really like tips. And baby, you know I'm the best tipper. I'll make it worth your while."

Thorne hesitated. He was always clear that more kisses and more PDA could be negotiated. He was also quick to tell his clients that making out was not the only way to make someone jealous. He knew men, because he was one, and he knew the things that made them jealous. Luisa didn't like listening to him about this, because Luisa, like most women, was extremely irrational when it came to her ex-boyfriend.

He didn't like Luisa on principle, because she was petty and vindictive and manipulative, but now that he had Cress waiting for him in the kitchen, the thought of making out with her made his lip curl even more.

He kicked at the ottoman. This was exactly the type of stuff that he hadn't wanted to think about this morning. His entire life revolved around petty and vindictive women who usually wanted to flaunt him in front of their exes. Jealousy was a lucrative business. That was why he had thought that Cress would be the same. But she had wanted to get over someone, rather than hurt him.

And she had given Thorne her trust over and over again this weekend, culminating into what had to be one of the best mornings of his life.

His thoughts shifted to yesterday in the hot tub when he had imagined the night of the wedding, dancing with Cress and then the events that followed. Did he dare to believe that he might end up in a relationship with Cress? One that could last more than just a few dates, where they committed to each other?

It had been so long since he'd had a real girlfriend, if he had ever really had one. He was so used to saying _I love you_ that he wondered what it would feel like to say those words and mean them.

He had never said those words for real. He had never made it that far.

He would have to tell Cress all about his business. Once she saw just how much money he made, she might be more understanding about why he did it. If he wanted anything more from Cress after today, he would have to have that conversation with her sooner than later.

Maybe going out with Luisa wouldn't be that bad. Maybe with Luisa's tips on top of the New Year's Eve flat rate, he could put the business on hold for a little. See how things went with Cress. See if he might be able to get a different type of job, if it came to that.

Aces, was he really thinking about giving it all up for her?

That was moving too fast, even for Cress. She was still getting over Jacin. Maybe she didn't even want that. Maybe he was getting way ahead of himself. She had just had her first kiss.

 _Kisses_ , he amended with a smile.

All of this was so complicated, and to some extent it was both of their faults. They both knew what they were getting into this weekend. They had both signed the contract.

They would have to talk about everything and it would take hours and it would be messy while they tried to figure everything out.

Or it would be short and sad.

He hoped that they could at least make out while they talked.

Preferably in the hot tub.

"Thorne?"

"For you, darling," he said, putting on his smooth, practiced 1-800-CAPTAIN voice, "I think we could work something out."

"I knew you'd see reason. That's why I called you yesterday. I wanted to give you a special Christmas bonus."

"How much money are we talking? Depending on how much you're willing to pay, we could even consider extending the night. Unless you need to be home at midnight," he teased, knowing that she liked it when he flirted. If Luisa wasn't so obsessed with her ex-boyfriend, he would have thought long ago that she had a crush on him.

"There's no need to extend the time we agreed upon. I'm willing to give you an extra $1,000 if you're possessively on me every time he's around. And this has to be your best performance yet."

An extra $1,000? That was a lot, even for Luisa, whose dad gave her all the money she wanted. He knew she was always up for his negotiations, though.

"Make it two."

"$1,500."

"How often do you think he's going to be around?"

"Enough that we're probably going to have to disappear into the bathroom."

Thorne grimaced. "That's a lot. I won't take less than two grand."

"Done." She laughed, like she had been expecting this all along.

"I've gotta go, Luisa. You know I like to give all my attention to my clients when I'm with them."

"I wouldn't expect anything less of you," she said.

Thorne hung up without saying goodbye and let out a huge breath. He could pocket almost eight grand in one night. It would certainly make up for the money Cress would no longer owe him, not that he wanted that money anyway.

He turned around and nearly jumped a mile when he saw Levana standing in the doorway, only a few feet in front of him. She smiled—an amused, twisted, terrifyingly beautiful smile—and Thorne felt goosebumps rise up on his arms.

Levana jutted out her hip. "My, my, my, what an _interesting_ conversation."


	25. Chapter 25

Heart racing, Thorne tried to put on his most relaxed smile. "L-Levana! Didn't see you there."

"Before you even try to come up with some alternate explanation," she said, "let me assure you that I heard every part of your conversation that mattered." Her smile grew. "Why don't you step into my quarters, Carswell?"

It was not a question. All he could do was follow her into her bedroom, which was conveniently located right outside the room in which he had been talking. He wanted to slap himself.

He tried to replay the conversation in his mind, but it was hard to remember exactly how he had phrased his words to Luisa when he had primarily been focusing on Cress in his mind. But he didn't need to remember his exact words to know that he was in deep trouble.

It was hard to keep thinking once he was inside Levana's room. There were mirrors everywhere.

Everywhere.

It was like being in a fun house, only his shape didn't shift, shrink, or grow depending on where he looked. There were at least ten of him in his peripheral vision.

There were also at least ten of Levana.

"Interesting, uh, room you've got here," he said, rubbing his hand against the back of his neck. "I bet you never miss a single chin hair."

Levana scoffed but took a seat on the round bed. It reminded him of an Austin Powers movie, only the covers were not patterned with psychedelic colors. They were a simple red, with throw pillows that had white lace attached to the edges, as if someone had cut off the veil that a bride wore.

Thorne stood awkwardly in the doorway.

Folding her legs, she opened her mouth to speak but he cut her off quickly. "I'm not really sure why I need to be in here. There's really nothing to talk about. That was my sister, Luisa, on the phone. She owes me money and I'd appreciate it if you could keep that to yourself. I don't need Cress to worry."

Levana laughed, but it was false and full of odium. "Oh Carswell, I knew there was something off about you from the moment you stepped foot into our house."

"I'm sorry?" There was no way that she had suspected anything. He had practiced his introductions to families a million times. His performance was flawless.

"You're squirming, you know."

Thorne relaxed his features even more. "I repeat: I'm not sure why I need to be in here. As much as I enjoy your decorating skills, I'm getting bored."

"My brother-in-law would simply _die_ knowing his own daughter hired a prostitute," she cooed.

Thorne choked.

"Yes, I know all about you."

"First of all, I'm not a prostitute—"

"A male escort, then. There's no need to get hung up on semantics when we're describing the same thing."

"No," he said, trying to get in the necessary words before she could interrupt him again. "I'm not a prostitute or a male escort. Nobody pays me for sex. Ever." He crossed his arms and glared at her.

"Is that so?"

"This is ridiculous. I'm actually offended, and it takes a lot to offend me."

"Do you like movies, Carswell?"

"I—what?"

"It's a simple question, really." She fluttered her eyelashes at him.

She was clearly playing some sort of game. But his argument about having just talked to his sister could hold up in front of the rest of the family. Nobody liked Levana; he doubted anyone would believe her. Maybe he could even play up his injuries some more. After all, everyone had heard him make a fool of himself the night before. He could pretend like he was under the influence of more medicine.

Yeah. That could work to his advantage.

He kept his voice even. "They're fine. Depends on the genre."

"Excellent. I have one you might enjoy." She got up from the bed and moved to the TV that was built into the mirrors.

"Excellent," he said, hoping his voice mirrored the sugary sweetness in hers. "You can just give the DVD to Cress before we leave and she'll make sure I watch it."

"I think it's better if we keep this one between us."

She turned on her TV with another malicious smile, and a feeling of dread washed over Thorne. He backed up, but Levana pointed the remote in his direction and the door slid shut behind him. He held up his hands. "Whoa, Levana, this is getting creepy even for you. I'm not interested in whatever kinky, weird stuff you're into. Let me out of this room."

Levana pursed her lips. "But this movie stars you, Carswell. Don't you want to see your cinematic debut?"

He didn't have time to process her words before he saw himself pop up on the TV. He didn't know why he hadn't put two and two together before. Maybe because Levana was creeping him the aces out, and he had briefly imagined she was going to show him something related to prostitution or porn. But no, there he was: in the room he shared with Cress, the night before.

It was in black-and-white and Cress was there too. She was hurling an envelope at his feet. He was clearly exasperated.

Levana fast forwarded.

Thorne was holding the envelope full of cash now. He extended it to Cress and she took it, but then he took it back and set it on the dresser.

Of course he knew what came next.

"You _videotaped_ us? In our bedroom?" His voice was no longer even or cool. He did not bother hiding back his revulsion.

"My favorite part is coming up," said Levana, ignoring him completely. She fast forwarded a few seconds more and then Thorne was kissing Cress.

"Turn it off," he growled. "That's none of your business."

"Of course it's my business. This is my house. Every Christmas Sybil and I have to open our home to complete strangers. Nobody bothers to think that one of the many partners our nieces and nephews bring here could be sinister. What if someone is a thief? Or a kleptomaniac? We must protect our home at all costs."

"By watching me make out with my girlfriend?!" Thorne said, pointing angrily at the screen. He was lifting Cress onto the dresser and that moment—that amazing moment between just the two of them—was no longer solely theirs. He felt sick to his stomach. "You're a perv."

Levana finally paused the recording. Her eyes turned steely. "I'm not the one who invited a male escort to spend the weekend in my home."

" _For the last time, I am not a male escort_."

"Do I need to replay this with sound, Carswell? Do you want me to pause it exactly where she hands you the envelope of money? Or shall I rewind to Friday, where she laments having rented you for the weekend? Where she regrets her decision? Or do you prefer to skip ahead to this morning, when you throw the envelope on the ground heroically, only to spend another hour in bed? Don't make me throw up again."

He gaped at her, horrified and shell-shocked. Not only did she have a recording of last night, she had recordings of _every moment_ they had shared—including this morning. "You're sick."

" _I_ am not the sick one. I am a victim here, welcoming someone like _you_ into my home."

"Oh please, you're—"

"I didn't watch _everything_. No one could stomach my niece whining on and on about her insecurities. And as much as you clearly think you're debonair, I think what you're doing is disgusting. Luckily for me, Sybil was able to filter out the most important parts." She took a step closer to Thorne. "Of all the people in this family who might pay someone for sex, I can't believe Crescent would be the one to stoop that low."

Thorne closed his eyes. Levana had what she thought was video proof. Even if the entire evening was played back with sound, there would still be the part that talked about how Cress had hired him. No one would believe him.

No one would believe Cress.

"Levana," he said, trying to sound placating, "Cress didn't do anything illegal. I run a companionship service. A non-sexual companionship service." He gritted his teeth. "If you watched the whole video, you will see that there was no sex involved. I'm just here to keep her company."

She raised an eyebrow.

"I run a legitimate, registered business. The contract that Cress signed also has a confidentiality clause. If you reveal my real identity, you're in breach of that contract too because you're a part of this weekend experience. It's defamation of character."

It wasn't exactly true, but he had had a lawyer look over the contract and tighten up the language. He knew Levana wasn't stupid, but nobody liked to be threatened with a lawsuit. Though by the looks of it, Levana and Sybil could probably afford much a fancier lawyer than he could.

"And, not that it's any of your business, but Cress and I fell in love this weekend." Okay, maybe he wasn't 100% sure if they were _exactly_ in love, but that detail wasn't important now. "I returned her money." He gestured at the screen again. "This morning. I told her that I don't want the money anymore because I want _her_."

He stared at her, hoping that she had one piece of goodness left inside her cold, black heart. When she smiled again, a bead of sweat formed on the back of his neck.

"Love, you say? How interesting..." She tapped her fingers. "Given the video footage, I suppose that story is a valid explanation."

Thorne breathed a sigh of relief. He tried to put on a smile that was not exactly charming, but grateful and reassured. "Thank you for understanding. You'll keep this between us then?"

Levana's eyes sparkled. She turned off the TV and sat back down on her bed. "Carswell, Carswell, Carswell. It's as if you think I'm evil. I have no plans to kill my _dear_ my brother-in-law this weekend by showing him these videos. He has a weak heart. Did Crescent ever tell you?" She let out a laugh. "Of course she hasn't. You've only known each other for a little more than seventy-two hours."

She wasn't going to tell anyone? Thorne felt like it was a trap. It was too good to be true.

"If you're not going to tell anyone…then what do you want?"

There it was again. That beautifully terrible smile. He clenched his fist at his side.

"I want what's best for my niece, of course. That's all this conversation has ever been about. Why else would I try to keep this between the two of us?"

"That's…kind of you," he conceded carefully.

"Someone has to think of her. As a hired escort—excuse me, _companion_ —you couldn't possibly have Crescent's best interests at heart like I do."

"No, that's not true." He set his jaw. "I do have Cress's best interests at heart. I gave back the money."

"You're asking her to lie for you, Carswell. But you lie for a living, so that something you could never understand."

"Cress doesn't want anyone knowing either."

Levana tittered, a bit like Rosie tended to do, but Levana was always filled with more malice in everything she did. She was mocking him. " _Of course_ she doesn't want anyone knowing. What would the family say? And on Christmas! It would ruin her if they found out."

"Which is why we're not going to say anything," he said firmly. "To protect Cress."

"Hmm. I wonder what Winter and Jacin would say?" She looked up at him with a sly smile. "Especially Jacin…knowing how close the two of them are."

Thorne's heart dropped into his stomach.

"Knowing," she continued, "just how much he _means_ to Cress. What on earth would he think of her then, if he knew her secret?"

Levana knew. She knew about Cress's other secret—the real reason she had hired Thorne. The thought made him want to bury his face in his hands. All he could do was stand there and realize that this had been Levana's plan all along. She had listened to all of the important details.

Including the fact that Cress had a crush on Jacin.

_Had. Past tense._

The thought of Cress crushing on Jacin now filled him with jealousy. Jacin didn't deserve her attention, her thoughts, her smile, her lips…

Levana was going to hold this information over them, he already knew it.

"Right," he said, "that would be bad."

"The poor thing would probably never show her face at another family gathering again."

Anger got the best of him. "I thought you said that you had her best interests at heart. Why would you hurt her that much then?"

" _I'm_ not going to hurt her, Carswell. You are." She rose to her feet. The Levanas in the mirrors circled him like a python.

He shook his head fiercely. "I won't."

"Do you really think that a few kisses coupled with some smooth lines are enough for the two of you to make it long-term? I assure you, they're not. Whatever type of love you think that you've realized this weekend, Carswell, it isn't real."

Thorne said nothing.

"Now I can tell in the video that my niece has become smitten with you. It's temporary, only she doesn't realize it."

"It doesn't have to be temporary," he said quietly.

"Only a few days ago she was so madly in love with her sister's fiancé that she hired an escort for the weekend."

"A companion."

Levana waved his comment away. "Whatever. You can't compete with the kind of love that she had for Jacin. You're going to make her see that."

"No! You're crazy!"

"You've insulted me quite a bit in our meeting, Carswell. My patience with you is running thin."

"You can't want her to be with Jacin. That makes no sense!"

"Of course I don't want her with Jacin. But even Jacin is better than _you_."

"That's what this is about? You don't want to give Cress a chance to be happy with me?"

"Look at you." Levana pursed her lips. "How could I, in good conscience, approve of such a relationship in secret when I know my brother-in-law would never approve? We could, of course, always ask him if you think that's preferable."

Of course Sage would never approve of him if he knew the truth. If he knew the circumstances in which Cress and Thorne had developed feelings for each other, Sage would probably have a heart attack and then come back to haunt him after he was dead. The thought filled him with shame.

No father would want Thorne with his daughter.

Not that Levana actually cared about that. Levana didn't give a shit about anyone but herself. She didn't have Cress's best interests at heart at all. She just wanted to win at her little game.

He sighed. "No. It's not preferable."

"Then we're in agreement?"

Thorne gritted his teeth. "I'm not going to hurt Cress."

"Think of it this way. You're not hurting Crescent. You're helping her. She made a grave mistake hiring a complete stranger to join us at Christmas. She has to learn her lesson one way or another. Isn't it better if you let her down gently than if her secret accidentally slips out at dinner one day?"

"So either I break up with her or you tell everyone that she loves Jacin?"

Levana smiled. "Are you even together, Carswell? There's nothing to break up."

"I care about Cress, Levana."

"Do you? Because if you really cared about her, you would let her go. You wouldn't want her to suffer because of you." Her eyes turned into slits. "And if she stays with you, she will suffer."

Thorne put his hands on his head and looked up at the ceiling. "I can't believe this is happening."

Levana grabbed her remote and, pressing a button, re-opened the door for him. "This should be easy for you, Carswell. If what you said about your job is true, then you're a fantastic liar."

"It's _pretending_ , okay?"

"Then pretend. Pretend that you're no longer interested in Cress and do the right thing."

"This isn't the right thing."

"It will be in the long run. For everyone."

Thorne glanced out into the hallway. He couldn't see anyone in either direction. "I'm not going to break up with her in front of her family," he hissed.

"Very well." She shrugged. "Perhaps that would be unnecessary. But be aware, Carswell," she said, pointing at the TV again with the remote, "that Sybil and I are aware of what's happening with our family. I want this pretend relationship over with by the end of today. And if I learn otherwise, there will be consequences."

He was really going to be sick.

"Got it." He turned to leave but she stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. He recoiled, stumbling until he turned around to face her and all of her horrible, mirrored selves again.

"Don't look so sad, Carswell. Just remember that things could be so much worse for Crescent. A little broken heart now will help her find a man who truly deserves her in the future."

When she began to grin again, Thorne stormed out of her room, enraged and so disgusted that he had to stop in the bathroom to collect himself.

* * *

Cress sat at the island eating her brunch, glancing at the hallway every few seconds to see if Thorne was on his way back from his phone call. It was taking an awfully long time for him to get back and she was getting worried that something was wrong. He hadn't accepted any phone calls the whole weekend, though, so maybe this was a pressing issue. He was already supposed to be back at home by now, after all, if they hadn't gotten snowed in.

In his absence, she was having trouble concentrating on any of the conversations taking place in the kitchen or paying attention to who was going to leave at what time. Instead she found herself overwhelmed with a happy giddiness that she had rarely ever felt.

Whenever she imagined them together this morning, she had to blush into her coffee mug.

She knew more than one person had already noticed.

Just when she was getting ready to go look for him, he reappeared in the hallway. Seeing him again made her smile a little too widely, as if it was the first time she was seeing him in several weeks.

But her smile quickly faded when she noticed that he wasn't wearing his cheery, almost teasing grin from earlier. Instead, he looked positively ashen.

She jumped off her stool. "Carswell, are you okay?"

Without saying anything, he picked Cress up in a fierce embrace, burying his face in her hair. Though she was thrilled at his affection, it made her worry grow.

He placed her back on her stool and took the seat next to her.

"Thorne?" she whispered. "What's wrong?" She placed her hand on his back.

"That was my, uh, mom," he said slowly—quietly. "One of my aunts died this morning."

"Oh my gosh! I'm _so_ sorry, Thorne." She put her arm around him and rubbed his arms. "Is there anything I can do? Do you want to go upstairs and be alone?"

He grabbed one of her hands and squeezed it. "No, it's okay. We weren't close. It just came as a surprise, you know?"

"Please tell your family I'm sorry anyway."

"Thanks, Cress." He let go of her hand and began to grab some food. "Let's just try to enjoy the rest of the day."


	26. Chapter 26

"Where's Kai?" said Cinder, getting up from the island counter. She set her mug down and wiped her mouth with her napkin, her brow furrowed. "He's been gone over an hour."

"He's probably sitting on the john," said Thorne. He added a teasing grin for effect, hoping to lighten the mood.

Cress had been clinging to him like a worried little puppy since he'd been back from his conversation with Levana. Rightly so, since he had pretended that there had been a death in the family. It had been a cheap lie, but the only thing he had been able to think of at the moment.

Pretending was his specialty. His business. But now, when he needed to keep one of his easy stories for himself, it was like grabbing at thin air. Maybe it was because for the first time he didn't want to pretend. He wanted to tell Cress everything that had just happened with him and her wicked aunt.

Aunts, really. Sybil may not have been there, but Thorne had not missed the way in which her lip had twitched upward when she'd seen him return to the kitchen. For a moment, he had wondered what would have happened if he had shouted the truth in front of everyone. Called her out. Told her that he wouldn't stand for her and her wife's blackmail.

But there was Cress to think about. This whole weekend was about her. Whether she was his client or his girl—or some weird combination of both—he knew the truth.

Cress keeping face in front of her family, and especially in front of Jacin, was more important than anything she had developed with him over the weekend.

So he had kept his silence and tried to put on the most pleasant exterior he could. But Cress had noticed that he wasn't his usual self and he was pissed at himself for not doing a better job of covering up his anxiety.

Anxiety was not supposed to be in his vocabulary.

This was exactly why he didn't date his clients.

His teasing comment worked, though. Cress smacked him. "Carswell!" she said, looking scandalized. "We're eating."

"Who's eating?" Thorne gestured around the room. Most of the family had dispersed, leaving dirtied plates behind. Some of them were sitting in the adjacent living room while Rosie and Adri loaded the dishwasher. Iko and Liam were having a heated discussion at the end of the table that everyone was trying to ignore and Sage was reading something on his tablet.

"No, he's probably right." Cinder shook her head. "It's probably that new graphic novel I got him for Christmas. I made him stop reading last night when I was trying to get some sleep."

"You got him a graphic novel too?" Thorne said. "I thought you got him Kingdom Wars Reloaded."

"Cinder has to buy him a lot of presents at Christmas or she feels inadequate," Cress chimed in. "He always gets her a ridiculous amount of presents because he's really rich. The first Christmas they were together he spent like, $500 on her and all she got him was a card."

"A card?" said Thorne. He had seen a lot of helpless girls in his time working as a companion, but getting someone just a card for Christmas seemed about as helpless as one could get.

"Okay," said Cinder, holding up a finger, "I don't feel inadequate. Since then, I've explained to him that I don't have as much money as he does. He obviously knows that. But it's hard to compete with someone who is constantly showering you with presents. I'm worried he's going to feel unloved if he only gets one thing."

Cress shook her head. "You've been together forever. You live together. Kai is not going to feel unloved just because he doesn't get a big Christmas present."

"Boys are more sensitive than you think, Cress. And they have big egos. Don't they, Carswell?"

Thorne coughed, trying to hide his smile. Cinder was definitely one of the cooler cousins in Cress's family. A little rough around the edges, but in the best way. "We definitely have big egos. More than we'll let on, of course."

Cinder let out a fake gasp. "You, Carswell? A big ego? Who would have thought?"

He smirked.

"I don't think Carswell has that big of an ego," said Cress, placing a hand on his knee.

"That's because you're still extremely infatuated with him," said Cinder.

"I am not."

"Please. If you weren't infatuated with him, you wouldn't be turning bright red right now."

Thorne grabbed Cress and pulled her into his lap. He wrapped his arms around her stomach and rested his chin over her shoulder. "I like it when you're red for me," he whispered playfully into her ear.

Cinder stuck a finger in her mouth and pretended to gag. "Get a room. Oh wait, you already have one."

Cress wiggled out of Thorne's arms and off the stool. He wanted to grab her again and tickle her, but then he remembered that he was supposed to be breaking up with her. His grin fell for a minute before he plastered it back on his face. Cress cocked her head to the side, studying him, and he quickly grabbed his mug even though it had been empty for a long time.

"Don't have too much fun without me," said Cinder dryly before leaving the room to look for Kai.

"It's starting to feel more natural," Cress whispered after double-checking that her father was still reading his tablet and not paying any attention to them. "It's starting to feel like we were always this way."

If Sybil weren't visible in the corner of his eye, always watching them, he would have pulled Cress back into his lap. Only this time he would have faced her towards him so he could kiss her so hard hard that her dad would have fallen off of his stool. That was the response Cress deserved after admitting that to him.

Instead he just slurped his fake coffee more intently and nodded at her.

When her smile grew at his response nonetheless, he made a decision. Despite his nerves, he would try to get through the rest of the day as best as he could.

Then he would break up with her on camera, the way that Levana wanted him to. He would do it at the absolute last minute, right before they had to leave. It would hurt her, though he would try to do it gently, but it would only have to hurt for a few minutes.

The second they were in the car, he would tell her everything.

She would forgive him once she knew the truth. She would see that he had no other choice but to hurt her in order to protect her. She would understand that he cared about her more than she could imagine.

And then they would pull over and make up for hours, reenacting their fake backseat kiss after the hospital. Only this time, it would be for real.

Everyone was growing restless waiting for the snowplows to arrive.

It was hard for Cress too.

A part of her wanted to get out of the house so that she and Thorne could have a serious conversation about where their relationship was going, if anywhere, and the other part of her wanted to stay in the house so that they never had to have that conversation. Everything was finally going well.

She was able to look at Jacin and Winter for the first time in months without feeling that horrible, familiar churning in her stomach. And more importantly, she felt like herself around a guy. A guy to whom she had confessed her feelings. A guy who reciprocated her feelings.

She was twenty-two years old and she had finally made out with a guy. Not that this detail was the most important thing, but it was something.

And stars, the guy was Thorne.

It was a bit too much for her brain to sort out, which might've been why she was glad to still be snowed in. They were still pretending for the others, even if it was no longer about their feelings for each other. But to her family, she and Thorne had been together for more than just a few hours.

In reality, the two of them had so much to figure out. Most worrisome was his business. Thorne made a living by pretending to date women. She tried to imagine herself being okay with that, but she was jealous just thinking about it.

Especially when she knew what had happened between the two of them this weekend. If it was possible with her, then it was possible with another woman.

She let those thoughts fall away for the moment. They would get there soon enough. She took his hand in hers and the two of them sat at the island observing the others who were still in the room. Sitting there, feeling his fingers meld with hers, she felt so calm. They had nowhere to be but to be with each other.

"What a wonderful couple."

Cress looked up to see Aunt Levana entering the kitchen. She had changed since this morning, looking like she was ready to go outside and snowplow herself with her thick fur jacket. Cress couldn't understand why she wasn't sweating when her aunts kept the house temperature set at 75° no matter what the windchill was outside. But no, Aunt Levana was the type of woman who looked impeccable no matter what she was doing or wearing.

Aunt Levana slid into the stool in between Thorne and Cress's father. "Tell me, Carswell, what plans do you have for New Year's Eve? Did I hear someone mention you had a surprise planned for Cress?"

Thorne side-eyed Aunt Levana. "Whoever said that was misinformed." Cress squeezed Thorne's hand when she heard his icy tone. She knew he was probably nervous since he had told everyone that he had a date already for New Year's. Of course everyone would think that date was with Cress. She still had to ask him if he had something planned for his business or if he had just been saying the right thing in front of her family.

"I thought you had a date planned," said Winter. Cress had not even noticed her approaching the island. Jacin, of course, was directly behind her.

"He does," said Cress, quickly jumping into the conversation. "It's just not a surprise."

"Young love," said Aunt Levana. She fixed her eyes on Thorne, almost like a predator. It gave Cress the chills. "It must be nice to know you're confident enough in your relationship that you'll make it all the way to New Year's."

Cress bristled. "All the way? It's only a week away."

"A lot can happen in a week."

Thorne didn't say anything.

"If something does happen to change your date, I hope you'll consider coming to a party with us," said Winter. Next to her, Jacin gave a nod.

"What party?" asked Cress.

"Well, I've been waiting to tell everyone because I wanted to make sure it was 100% certain. But I just got the email this morning. I got signed, Cress!" Winter let out a small scream and ran around the island to hug Cress.

Cress nearly fell out of her stool as Winter continued squealing and rocking her back and forth. "Wait…wait! You mean…with a modeling agency?"

Thorne let out a wolf whistle. Levana left them alone as Winter nodded furiously. "Lunar Agency, Cress. My first pick!"

"Wow! Winter, that's amazing." She hugged her sister back, surprised that she actually felt happy for her.

"Are you hearing this, Rosie?" Sage called behind them.

"Dad!" Winter squealed. "It's finally happening!"

She left Cress to run into the arms of their dad.

"Of course it's happening. All of your hard work is paying off."

Jacin was smiling more than he had the entire weekend, even more than when her parents had given him and Winter a house. He was next in line for a hug and as Jacin took Winter into his arms, Thorne took Cress into his.

She allowed Thorne to hold her and watched her sister's exciting news radiate around the room. The slight stubble on Thorne's face rubbed against her as he moved to plant a light kiss on her cheek.

"Lunar Agency is having a party on New Year's Eve. It's invite only and I'm allowed to bring four guests. Cress, I really want you to be there. You've supported my modeling more than anyone else." She giggled as she glanced at Jacin. "Besides Jacin, of course. I hope you'll bring Carswell. That is, if you're able to move around your date."

Cress bit her lip. "I don't know. Carswell has already made these plans and…"

"No, we'll go," said Thorne, tightening his arms around Cress. "I'll call the restaurant I made reservations at. I'm sure we can reschedule."

"You should be able to go to dinner anyway," said Winter. "It's not a big party. It's just for the newly signed models to mingle and meet some of the other people at the agency, maybe make a few contacts, you know."

Cress really didn't know, but she wasn't about to say so. She couldn't imagine Thorne saying that they would go if he didn't plan to go. She had given him a way out by saying that they already had plans. The thought made her spirits left. She could handle being around beautiful, long-legged women all night if Thorne was at her side.

And this had to mean that Thorne was ready to move forward just like she was.

She leaned back into him and rested the back of her head against his chest. "Well, if it doesn't ruin Carswell's plans, then we'd be happy to go."

"Of course," said Thorne. "We wouldn't miss it." When he began to place more kisses against her neck, she knew that he absolutely meant it.

Kai and Cinder came back into the kitchen, holding hands. Kai was grinning proudly. Cinder was blushing. Thorne let out a low chuckle in her ear.

Winter screamed again. "He didn't! He didn't!"

Cinder nodded shyly, then lifted up her free hand. A huge diamond glistened off of her ring finger.

The whole room erupted into cheers. Any excitement over Winter's new modeling deal was squashed by talk of how Kai had proposed spontaneously only minutes ago. While everyone was eating, Kai had gone back upstairs and arranged a mini treasure hunt for Cinder. He had detailed all of the things that he loved about her on little notes and placed them around for her to find. With the last note, he had been waiting for her on his knee.

"I was going to do something bigger later," said Kai, unable to stop grinning, "but everyone and their grandma was up in arms about how I hadn't proposed yet this weekend. I've had the ring for quite some time now, so I figured I might as well get it over with. End the weekend on a good note. She's stuck with me now."

The whole time he and Cinder talked, Thorne never let go of Cress.

It was hard not to count this morning as one of the best she'd ever had.

In almost no time, it seemed, the snowplow company arrived. Her aunts were catapulted into amazing moods, suddenly remembering to act gracious right as their guests were getting ready to leave.

Thorne had been recruited into playing another game of ping-pong against Cinder, and this time, Cress was standing right next to him cheering her man on. It actually seemed like he had a chance of beating her when Uncle Garan came down to let them know that they were no longer snowed in.

Cinder caught the ball and pocketed it. "Better luck next time, Carswell."

Thorne groaned. "You can't just leave it like that."

Cinder laughed and pointed her ping-pong racket at him. "See, Cress? Big ego."

Kai put his arm around his new fiancée's waist. "A big ego that was about to get squashed by the best ping-pong player in this family."

"Please," said Thorne. "You know I had this one in the bag. You're just hoping to get lucky tonight."

Cress squeaked, unable to believe how comfortable and forward Thorne was being with her cousins.

Kai smirked. "I'm sure that makes two of us, Carswell."

"That's enough, boys," said Cinder shaking her head. "This is somehow reminding me of our hunting conversations."

"We still have to talk about that," said Kai. "I still can't believe you were pretending to care about my hunting skills."

They began to walk up the stairs, squabbling at each other about whether hunting was a real sport and whether Kai could actually shoot anything. Thorne followed them without a word, leaving Cress to run up the stairs behind them and catch up. She sort of expected Thorne to wait for her, but he followed closely behind Kai and Cinder. All she could do was walk behind him.

When they made it to the second floor, Kai and Cinder disappeared into their room to get ready to leave. Thorne continued walking quickly until he reached the bedroom. He stopped then, finally to wait for her. He looked angry.

"Are you okay? I'm sure Cinder would finish the game if you told her it was that important to you."

Thorne shook his head. "It's not the game." He stepped into the room.

Cress followed again, shutting the door behind her with a kick of her foot. "What's going on, then? You seem like you're suddenly in a bad mood."

He shrugged and sat down at the edge of the bed. "Just sad that the weekend is already over, I guess. I thought we'd have more time."

Cress climbed on top of the bed and sat behind him, wrapping her arms around him instead this time. It didn't work out quite as she had expected because his body was much larger and taller than hers, so she could only lean her forehead against his back. Still, she squeezed him tight. "We don't have to leave just yet. I know my aunts want everyone out immediately, but the parents aren't leaving until tomorrow. Nobody says we can't stay another hour…or two." She grinned into his back, glad he couldn't see her blush.

She expected him to turn around and maybe lay down on top of her and shower her with kisses like he had that morning, but Thorne got off the bed and made his way to the wardrobe. "We should pack," he said with his back to her.

She waited for him to turn around and give her a smile, but he focused on his clothes. "Okay...," she said reluctantly and got up too.

As she packed she began to collect her thoughts for their upcoming conversation that would probably take place in the car. He was probably doing the same, reflecting on whatever it was that he wanted to talk about. She knew his job was going to be the main problem between them and she couldn't exactly blame him for being worried about having to give up his livelihood. She wasn't even sure if she could ask him to give up his livelihood, no matter how she felt about it.

When she had double checked that there was nothing left under the bed or in the bathroom, she got Thorne to zip her suitcase while she sat on top of it. Even though she had not purchased anything on the trip, it seemed like she had twenty more dresses to fit back into it now. "Remember when you insisted on lugging my suitcase in the snow?" She giggled. "You were so mad."

"I told you The Rampion and I would be good friends by the end of the weekend. I'm going to lug it back to your car when we leave too."

"You're such a good guy, Thorne. I'm really lucky."

Thorne sighed loudly. He managed to close her suitcase and propped it up on its wheels. But instead of taking it in his hand, he moved to stand in front of the dresser. He stood a bit awkwardly, looking vaguely over her shoulder, as if someone were standing behind her. For some reason, she even glanced over her shoulder, but there was nothing except for the corner of the room.

"Cress, we should talk."

Cress's mouth went a little dry. She hadn't been expecting him to already start their conversation, but the way he had said we should talk made it pretty clear what he wanted to talk about.

"Okay," she said shyly, trying not to smile. "I agree. There's a lot I want to say."

"I should go first." He looked like he wanted to drag his hand down his face, seemed to remember his splint, and reconsidered. "This weekend has been amazing. You, Cress, are an incredible woman."

"You're—"

"Let me get through this, please, or I'll never get out what I need to say."

Cress took a step closer to him, a sudden sense of uncertainty filling her. "Thorne...you look like you're trembling."

He shook his head. "We've only known each other for a few days, but I've learned a lot about myself this weekend. You made me realize some things, Cress, and I'm really thankful for that. I think I have a better idea of what I want. And spending time with you has been amazing. We've had a lot of fun together, don't you think?"

"Of course we have."

"And I think that we would keep having fun going forward."

"Me too, I—"

"But how is that ever going to work Cress? No, that's rhetorical. It's not going to work."

Cress took a step back, feeling like she'd been slapped. "Wait, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that…that…" He sighed again. "I'm saying that I think we should leave this weekend and everything that happened between us here. We should look at it like...like this amazing thing that happened spontaneously between two people who genuinely cared for each other."

"You keep saying amazing and yet you're making it sound like anything but. What do you mean, we should leave this weekend and everything that happened between us here?"

Thorne looked like he wanted to cry and she reached for him but he held up his hand to stop her. "I mean that there is no future for us. We could keep talking after this weekend and maybe even go on a few dates. We'd continue to enjoy ourselves for a while but inevitably it would come down to one thing: my job. I'm not going to give up my job, Cress. If we keep going like this, I'm just going to hurt you. And I don't want to do that. Let's quit while we're ahead."

Though her heartbeat had increased, Cress was having trouble reconciling his words. She was hearing them, but it had never occurred to her that he could make this decision so quickly and in so few words.

"But what if I could get used to it? What if I was okay with your job?"

Thorne shook his head. "I know you. You're not okay with it."

"It's like you said." She tried to keep her voice upbeat. He just wasn't sure about this because of the job. It wasn't about her. He clearly liked her. "We barely know each other. We just met a few days ago. We might think we know each other, but we really don't. I won't know what I'm really okay with until we explore that idea."

"No. You shouldn't be okay with it. I won't let you be." He walked to her suitcase and gripped the handle. "You deserve way more than a guy who looks for validation from ratings that women give him on his website." He started dragging her suitcase across the carpet to the door.

She ran after him and grabbed his arm. "I know this is scary, Thorne. I'm—I'm scared too. I don't know exactly how we're going to deal with this, but I want to try. Your worth is not in those ratings."

He turned back to her, but once again seemed to face anyone but her. "You're sweet, Cress. And you are worth so much more than you think you are. I hope you know that. I hope I've helped you see that. But please, just let me go. Let the idea of us go." He fixed his eyes on the wall and set his jaw. "Because as soon as we walk out that door, this relationship is over for me. It needs to be over before it can start."

"But—"

"It's over, Cress," he said, this time more softly.

He stopped in the doorway as he made his way out, facing her once more as if he might say something else. He met her eyes finally, and they were so obviously sad and full of regret. But he did not take his words back. He did not say sorry, that he'd made a mistake.

Cress could only stand there as he walked out of their bedroom with her suitcase in tow. She let the door swing shut behind him, still hoping he might come back and say something different. When five minutes had passed and she was still standing there, she locked herself in the bathroom. She turned on the shower and the sink faucet.

Only then, with the rushing water to muffle any sounds, did she let the tears fall for the man she had hired for the weekend. The man who had told her right from the beginning that he never dated his clients.


	27. Chapter 27

As soon as Thorne reached the first floor, he dropped the Rampion suitcase by the door angrily. He could feel both his hands shaking and clenched the uninjured one into a fist. He marched down the hallway, passing at least ten family members who were running around with their things.

"Carswell," said Rosie, "are you okay?"

He ignored her and kept on going down the hallway, past the kitchen and the bathroom until he had reached Levana and Sybil's creepy mirrored room. He pushed the door open without even knocking. Sybil and Levana both jumped, but they were not sitting and watching them as he had imagined. Sybil was flipping through a magazine and Levana was staring at herself in a mirror.

"It's done," he snarled.

Levana turned to face him, her reflections doing the same. Her lips curled into a vicious smile. "Are you telling the truth, Carswell? Or should I have Sybil run the recording right now?"

"Do whatever you want. You're going to hell either way."

Sybil looked up from her magazine, but she looked bored. "Quite the mouth on him, don't you think?"

Levana laughed and clasped her hands together. "It was wonderful to meet you, Carswell. I hope it never happens again."

"The feeling is mutual," he said, not even trying to sound polite, which was unusual for him. But these were two evil, spineless women. Knowing the full extent of their cruelty only made him feel worse for Cress. She already had her sister to deal with and the feeling of never being good enough for her parents. Of feeling inadequate around her family. He could hardly imagine what it must've felt like to grow up and spend every Christmas and summer with Levana and Sybil.

"Enjoy your life as an escort," she simpered.

He slammed their door behind him as he left, then went into the little room with the ottoman where he had first spoken with Darla. Where Levana had caught him. He kicked at the ottoman until his toes hurt and he worried that someone would come by to check where all the racket was coming from.

He composed himself, trying to become a perfect gentleman—a perfect boyfriend—one more time this weekend. He would rejoin the family and act natural. No, not natural. Normal. As they expected a guy in love with his girlfriend to act. He would make sure that Cress did not lose face in front of her family no matter how bad she felt right now. Then he would explain everything to her in the car and the horrible, gut-wrenching feeling inside of him would go away.

He reached the foyer with the big statue and Cress's suitcase at exactly the same time that Cress came down the stairs. He searched her face, trying to find any evidence of tears. The last thing that he had wanted to do was make her cry, so he had tried to make his speech as painless as possible. When she kept insisting that they should keep trying, he had needed to make the point more clear so Levana would see that they really were broken up.

When Cress looked up at him, at first she seemed taken aback, but her face morphed into an excited grin. "There he is! I was just looking for my boyfriend!"

Thorne furrowed his brow only for an instant as she ran at him and grabbed his hand. He squeezed back, a little bit of hope coursing through him. Cress was not a good actress. She always let her nerves get in the way. If she was acting normal now, then she probably wasn't that upset.

But if she wasn't that upset…did that mean that she didn't care? That she had just accepted his words?

"I was just getting some fresh air," he said. "Did you finish up in the room?"

"Oh yes," she said, letting out a giggle that was akin to the way Winter might laugh. A bead of sweat formed on Thorne's forehead. "I'm ready to go."

"Great," said Thorne, finding his voice had gone very, very dry. Cress's playful squeeze had suddenly turned into a death grip.

"I just love driving with you. You're so _soothing_. There's nothing I'd rather do than spend the next two hours of my life with my charming, handsome boyfriend."

"I love driving with you too, sweetheart," he said, reminding himself to sound as natural as possible. The sarcasm in Cress's voice was beyond obvious. She was not okay at all. No, she was pissed.

He looked around to see if anyone was paying them any attention and noticed that a few were indeed listening. "It's a great time to talk about our feelings, don't you think?" He tried to put emphasis in _feelings_ so that she would get his hidden meaning.

"Oh yes," she drawled, then let go of his hand. "I can't wait."

"You guys make me want to throw up," said Iko. "I mean that as a compliment."

Cress hugged Iko. "Oh, Iko," she said, her voice sounding a tad more sincere, "I'm going to miss you."

"I'll see you at the New Year's party in a few days. Winter is giving me her last guest pass."

"Fab-u-lous," Cress singsonged.

Thorne nearly cringed.

"I'm so happy both of my daughters are so happy," said Rosie. She came up to Thorne and embraced him fiercely. Then she opened her arms and pulled Cress away from Iko and into her other side. "You found such a nice man, Cress. We hope to see you around more now that we've met him."

Thorne knew that she was probably saying that because Cress had made herself pretty absent in their lives since Winter and Jacin had gotten engaged. To the untrained ear, or perhaps, to the jealous ear, however, her mother made it sound a little bit like she was more interested in seeing Cress _because_ she was with Thorne now. He should really start a class about tone of voice and how it affected everything.

Cress's voice came out muffled. "Can't waiii-aiiit."

Okay. He was going to need to intervene somehow before Cress outed herself. It was hard, though, because with every false syllable that Cress emitted, he felt like he was being hit in the gut with a sledgehammer.

"Cress," he said, pulling away from Rosie. "Can we chat in private for a sec?"

"That's okay," she said, throwing him a glare that her mother did not see, "we'll have plenty of time to talk in the car, remember? I want to spend these last few minutes with my family."

Rosie beamed at her daughter's words.

Cress went around the room giving everyone hugs and telling them how much she would miss them, as if she were going away for a year-long study abroad experience without internet. It was still Christmas, though, so she was not the only cheery one in the room. Everybody seemed to be in an excellent mood now that the snowplows had arrived. Cress's hugs were well-received.

Even Sage was friendly. He offered Thorne a handshake. "It was nice to meet you, Carswell. Please don't be a stranger."

At any other time, he probably would have punched his fist into the air in triumph. Sage Darnel had approved of him in front of Cress. That would definitely be something he would bring up in the car in case Cress had any doubts. He had already won over her family. They already thought the two of them were together and loved each other. That was a huge part of any relationship.

A small tingle of anticipation replaced some of the bad feelings in his stomach.

A relationship.

Even as he thought it, he knew that this was what he wanted to pursue with Cress.

He still didn't know what he would do about his business, but he wanted Cress's opinion on that, which was another weird feeling. It was like he wanted…her _approval_. He wanted her to be _proud_ of what he did. That sort of feeling was slightly terrifying and he was not one to be terrified so he pushed it away.

First, he had to apologize.

"Carswell," said Winter, smiling warmly, "thank you for being good to my little sister. I have to admit, I was a little skeptical at first, but I think you might be just the person she needs." She winked and placed a kiss on his cheek.

Thorne felt himself reddening, which irritated him immensely, for he worried that Cress might think it was because he thought she was attractive. It was more because he had been thinking about being in a relationship with Cress at the moment that Winter had said that.

Indeed, Cress was smiling with her lips but killing him with her eyes from behind Winter's shoulder.

And then, to his relief, they were out of the stuffy foyer and stomping through the snow with the rest of the family, going through the trees and then back on the little path that led out to the street and cars. The only perk of seeing every car covered in snow was that Cress's had less on it since they had driven to the hospital during the snowstorm.

There was, however, a good foot of new snow to get rid of and the need to clear the snow that had been sprayed from the snowplow between the car and the road.

He dropped the suitcase on the street and sighed. Cleaning snow off cars was one of the many reasons he had purchased a house with a garage. He half-expected Cress to watch him unbury the car himself, mad as she was, but she took the back of the car while he took the front. She did not speak to him. He did not dare mention anything to her about her aunts, since he did not know how far Levana's security cameras stretched onto her property.

He wouldn't risk them ruining everything a second time.

The parents made rounds among their grown kids, offering encouragement and saying how "this sort of work" made "their children honest" while they drank hot chocolate and offered nothing to them.

Honesty was overrated.

Parents were overrated too.

His fingertips felt like they were falling off by the time they had scraped off enough snow to hack at the ice that was preventing them from opening the doors. Both of them sighed with relief when they managed to pry it open. Thorne rubbed his hands together, trying to get some feeling back in them as Cress slid into the driver's seat. She shut the door behind her and he stood there watching her through the window as she started the car.

She was wearing the same cute hat that she had been wearing yesterday before he'd broken his fingers. He remembered tumbling in the snow with her, only feeling the small beginnings of attraction developing. He had begun to notice her more in the hospital, if he were honest with himself. It may have taken his mix-up with alcohol and drugs to really realize it, but Cress had a way of making the people around her feel special. Even someone like him.

After a few minutes of staring at her and realizing he was staring at her, he opened the door. "What's going on? Is it not starting?"

Cress turned the key frantically, shaking her head.

"Here, let me try."

Cress glared at him, but he was used to that by now. "Why do guys always think that their magic touch will somehow make a car that's not working suddenly work? I'm not stupid, you know. It's my car and it's not starting."

"I don't want to try because I'm a _guy_. It never hurts to have another set of eyes."

She rolled her eyes and got out of the car, pushing the door into his stomach.

He sat in the car and closed the door, disappointed to find that it was not any warmer in there than it was outside. But after a few minutes of trying himself, he got back out of the car with some frustration. "You're right. I couldn't get it to start either."

"Cinder!" Cress called, surprising Thorne. He had figured she would call her dad.

Cinder trudged over from her own car.

"It's dead," said Cress.

"You know about cars?" said Thorne.

"See," said Cress, "you shouldn't automatically assume that only guys will know about cars."

"I don't assume that! You are _assuming_ that I assume that."

"I am not."

"Sweetheart," he said through gritted teeth. "Let's not fight."

"Yeah," said Cinder. "Chill. It's just a car and I'm not offended." She slid in the driver seat, poked around for one minute, and said, "Someone left the lights on. Your battery's dead."

"No way," said Cress indignantly. "My dad was driving. There's no way he left the lights on."

"Then someone sabotaged your car," said Cinder dryly.

Thorne's jaw dropped, but he closed it quickly. This had to be a coincidence. Levana hadn't crawled out here in the snow last night and turned Cress's lights on. No way.

"Let's see if anyone has jumper cables."

No one did. Not even Cinder, who apparently was good with cars because she liked to tinker around with them in her free time. They had come in Kai's car, which conveniently had nothing useful.

Thorne was sure that the evil aunts had something in their massive garage.

"Don't worry, Cress," said Sage. "You and Carswell catch a ride back to Minneapolis and your mother and I will drive your car down tomorrow once AAA comes by to restart it."

"There's no need for that," said Thorne. "We'll wait for AAA."

"No, we won't." Cress slammed her car door shut and locked it. "I really need to get home, Carswell. It could take hours for them to show up with this weather. Think of how many cars are stranded on _actual roads_ and not in front of their houses."

"We have time."

"No we don't, Carswell. We have that _thing_ , remember?"

Thorne was beginning to panic internally. If Cress and him rode home with someone else, he wouldn't get a chance to talk to her until they reached Minneapolis. "We canceled that, Cress. Remember?" He tried to throw meaning into the word _remember_ , but it was as lost on Cress as it was on everyone else standing around.

"Here's an idea," she said. "I'll catch a ride back to Minneapolis and you can stay here until AAA shows up and drive my car back."

"No, if we need to be at that thing then I'm coming with you."

"Great, it's settled then. Who wants to give us a ride?" she called.

"Ooh, come with us!" said Winter. "It'll be fun."

Thorne wanted to groan.

"Perfect," said Cress. "Carswell, grab my suitcase."

She stomped towards Jacin's car without another word, leaving Thorne freezing, annoyed, and more than a little desperate.

* * *

"Cress," said Winter, shaking her shoulder from behind. "We're here. Wake up, baby sister. Oh! Sorry, I forgot you don't want to be called that anymore. We're here, Cress."

Cress open her eyes and lifted her head off of the angle between the seat and the window. She uncurled her legs and straightened with a fake yawn and a real stretch. She had been cramped in the front passenger seat for the entire drive, pretending to sleep so that she didn't need to engage in conversation with Jacin, who was driving, or Thorne and Winter who were sitting in the backseat. The arrangement had worked well, since Thorne had wanted her to sit in the back with him, of course. After two minutes there she had claimed car sickness and traded seats with Winter.

Thorne had kept the two of them entertained without her, of course. She had listened to everything he had said, even nice things about her, but she was once again back to not knowing what to believe.

And now they were back. To this very suburban neighborhood in Minneapolis, to the pretty house with the wreath on the door and the walls without any frames. She realized that she had never gotten around to asking him about that. From their conversations, she was sure that he certainly didn't get along with his family, but his house seemed devoid of friendships too. This morning, when she had been alone in the kitchen with her thoughts, she had thought about discovering all of these things about him in the future.

But there was no future.

She knew it was for the best, but it didn't feel like it was. Not yet.

The only helpful thing at the moment was remembering how much she had loved Jacin—or thought she had loved him—and the mess of a weekend that she had just spent all of her money on in order to forget him. Weirdly, it had worked, but not in the way she had envisioned before calling 1-800-CAPTAIN. She had imagined herself to emerge victorious, with everyone jealous of her boyfriend and that feeling somehow making her forget that she was, in fact, unhappy with her life.

She would not let Thorne bring her down the way that Jacin had brought her down for so long.

"Thanks for the ride," said Thorne to Jacin and Winter.

"No problem," said Jacin.

Winter put her arm around Thorne just as Cress was turning around in her seat. "The pleasure was all ours. I can't wait to see you and Cress at the party."

"I can't wait to see you either," said Thorne with a charming smile, which made Cress frustrated. Why couldn't he come up with an excuse of why he couldn't go anymore? Why did he have to leave that awkward explanation to her, when he knew that she was terrible at pretending?

"Oh, and Cress, there are going to be stylists there offering makeovers." Winter squealed a little. "So all you need to do is wear a pretty dress and they'll take care of hair and makeup."

"Great," said Cress lamely, even though at any other time she probably would've loved the idea of getting her hair and makeup done for free. She was always browsing around for good deals on blowouts and things like that at local salons.

"That _is_ great, sweetheart," said Thorne, smiling encouragingly at her. "I can't wait to see you all dolled up. Not that I can imagine you looking much better than you already do, of course."

Cress rolled her eyes. "Of course."

She did not miss the way Winter and Jacin exchanged a look.

"Okay, I've got it from here. I'll give Cress a ride home once were back from that thing." Thorne opened the passenger door, sending a chill through the car.

No, that wouldn't do. She needed to get home and away from Thorne as soon as possible.

"It was canceled after all," she said quickly. "I just got a text. I'm tired and I want to go home, Carswell. I'll catch a ride with them."

"I can drive you right now," Thorne insisted. "Two minutes to get my car out of the garage."

"I'm going home with Winter, Carswell," she insisted back.

Thorne looked away from her, down at his splint. "Will you at least come give me a goodbye kiss? You're not too tired to walk me to my door, are you?"

Cress considered him, and the way that Winter was looking at her strangely, like she had suddenly grown three heads. Cress was sure she sounded rude. She glanced at Jacin, who looked bored. She unfastened her seatbelt. "Fine."

She was up the walkway to his house more quickly than he was and reached the door with the wreath. She remembered her pepper spray and the way he had answered the door in his sweatpants. He had called her gorgeous and then had tried out every pet name before settling on _sweetheart_ and _beautiful_. She had discovered he was not a real captain.

"Cress!" said Thorne, jogging up the walkway and skidding on a piece of ice. He righted himself and got up on the stoop next to her. "Thank the stars, I've been wanting to talk to you ever since we had that conversation but we haven't gotten a moment alone. Listen, there's something I need to tell you. Everything I told you, I didn't mean it—"

Cress pulled on his jacket and dragged his face down to hers. She stopped his words by kissing him so fiercely she thought it might coax out all of her tears again. His lips were warm and inviting and eager, the way they had been last night and this morning. She thought the two of them fit so well together. Surely if being together in this way could feel so right, the two of them couldn't be so wrong for each other.

She pulled back before she could entertain the thought any longer. Her eyes were wet when she looked at him. Thorne was opening his eyes too, looking relieved. He cupped her cheek and smiled shakily. "Hey, beautiful."

"I'm going to turn my back to my sister and her fiancé," she said, doing exactly that. "And you're going to stand there and smile and do what you do best. You're going to pretend like this isn't the last kiss we'll ever have."

Thorne's brow creased. "Wait, what?"

"You asked for a goodbye kiss and that was it. Thank you for spending time with me this weekend and for showing me things about myself that I needed to know."

"No, Cress, you don't—"

"Smile or you won't get your tip," she said, placing a hand on his lips. "Whatever it is you want to say, I don't want to hear it. _I_ get to speak now. I've had time to think about what you said, and you're right. We had fun this weekend. You helped me a lot and I can't pretend like I haven't enjoyed being with you. But we would never work out together. There's no future for us and I feel silly for having thought that for even a minute."

Thorne took a quick step towards her, grabbing her hand and pulling it away from his lips. "No, you really don't—"

"No, _you_ really don't understand, Thorne. This is not easy for me. I've wasted too much time chasing after guys who don't feel the same way about me." She waved her hand in the direction of the door. "That's how I ended up in this twisted situation. I need time for myself to figure out _me_. To figure out what makes me happy because what I'm doing right now isn't making me happy. And for a brief second, I thought you might be the one to make me happy. That's so screwed up, Thorne. That's…that's replacing one drug with another. Thank you for making me see that and for being the one to make the right choice before I made the wrong one. I mean that."

"Cress, _Levana_ —"

"Please do not contact me. I'll make"—her voice began to choke up—"I'll make sure to leave you a good review."

She spun on her heels and ran away, plastering a smile on her face as she skipped over the icy patch. She jogged around the car and got in, hoping that her emotions did not betray her. "I'm ready," she said.

"That was quick," said Winter.

"I really need to get home," she said, facing out the window.

Thorne stood there in front of his door, smiling and waving like he would see her tomorrow.


	28. Chapter 28

_This companionship service was..._

Cress's fingers faltered on the keyboard. She had received an automated email from Thorne's website that morning reminding her to leave a review. Her heart had leapt for one second when she had seen it, thinking that Thorne was contacting her after all. But the email was just as professional as all of his communications before she had met him, and also just as impersonal. It gave her a code as a verified customer to leave a review.

She had forgotten about leaving him a review after she had returned home and sent him a check with all the money she owed him, including the tip she had promised him.

 _This companionship service was everything I needed,_ she typed, her hands shaking. _Thorne was—_ No. She deleted _Thorne_ and started again: _The captain was the embodiment of the perfect boyfriend. He met all of my expectations and more. Careful, girls, or you'll fall in love with him!_

She read over her review, then added a winking smiley face at the end. Her face was red as she pressed _Submit_.

The page refreshed with a new message. _Thank you for leaving a review! Please take a moment to fill out the anonymous customer satisfaction survey below. This survey, along with your review, will help me improve and allow future clients to make educated decisions about this service. Hey, it helped you decide to hire me, right?_

Cress looked at the first question.

_On a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being not satisfactory, and 10 being exceeded expectations, how would you rate your level of satisfaction from this service?_

Cress closed the window. Getting up from her desk, she padded into the other corner of her small studio apartment. She was supposed to be working at the library today, but she had canceled, calling in sick. She really couldn't afford to do so, especially now that she had sent Thorne the money, but yesterday had been miserable as her first day back from the holidays.

Of course, all the books that people were checking out seemed to be romantic love stories. She had read them all, sorted them all, even memorized their covers and blurbs. She knew which ones were made into movies and which ones featured the most handsome protagonists. Romance in books were so unrealistic.

It was a relief that she had called in sick. She would have gotten Thorne's email at work otherwise, and so far she had managed to avoid crying in public. Now she could shuffle back into bed and bury herself beneath the covers while trying to figure out where she would go from here.

* * *

Thorne's phone made a chirping noise. He sighed, knowing that it was just his work email. He had purposely changed his notification sounds this week. There had been too much anticipation with each notification before, only to realize that it was just clients sending him requests.

He knew it had been too much to hope that Cress might contact him.

He picked up his cell phone and scrolled to his work email _. A new review has been posted to your website,_ said the heading. A small jitter went through Thorne's nerves. The only person who could've left a review was Cress. He clicked on the link immediately and logged into his admin account.

 _Client_ Cress D. _left an anonymous review at 1:15 P.M. on 12/30/16:_

 _This companionship service was everything I needed._ _The captain was the embodiment of the perfect boyfriend. He met all of my expectations and more. Careful, girls, or you'll fall in love with him! ;)_

Objectively, her review was the perfect blurb for his site.

Thorne stared at it, though, knowing he'd never be able to use it. He couldn't use Cress that way.

 _You'll fall in love with him_? Was she being sarcastic, giving a warning to all of his potential clients, or trying to send him a message?

More importantly, was Cress in love with him?

"Please do not contact me," she had said.

Thorne opened his contact list and dialed a number.

* * *

Cress's phone rang a few minutes after she had thrown herself into bed. Her heart pattered as she reached up to her nightstand to see who was calling. She had just submitted her review. Had Thorne gotten it and decided to call her?

If he was calling, what would she do? What would she say? Did she even want him to call? Especially when she had told him not to?

Pulling the phone back under the covers, she saw that it was a private number. Oh stars, it _was_ Thorne. Should she let it go to voicemail?

Shakily, she pressed the accept button, taking a deep breath. "Hello?"

"Yes, may I speak with Cress Darnel?"

It wasn't Thorne. She exhaled and closed her eyes. "This is she," said Cress tiredly.

"My name is Martha Appleton," said the voice coolly. "I'm with Parker Design and Production. We received your application and portfolio and were quite impressed. I'm calling because we would like to interview you. Do you have a few minutes to chat right now?"

Cress sat up in bed, pulling the hood off her face and attempted to clear her throat. Parker Design and Production? She had applied to them more than four months ago. It had been on a whim—one which she had later regretted when she had heard nothing. They wanted to _interview_ her?

"Yes, I have a few minutes now," she said scrambling off the bed and running for her laptop where she kept all of her planned interview question answers. "Thank you for calling me. I'm very excited to hear from you. Happy New Year!"

"Yes," said Martha. "Indeed. Now, Cress, where do you see yourself in five years?"

* * *

"Hey, it's Thorne," he said, hoping his voice sounded as scraggly as he intended.

"Hey, baby," said Luisa. "You excited for tomorrow?"

"That's why I'm calling." Thorne coughed a few times. "I've come down with something. A nasty flu."

He could hear her anger and disappointment before she even spoke. "The flu? You are _not_ calling me to cancel!"

"I don't know. I wanted to give you a heads up in case I don't get better."

"Oh no, you don't! You are coming no matter how sick you are. I need you there."

Thorne sighed dramatically. "I know. And I want to be there for you. You know that. But I'm human. And if I'm sick, I'm sick. You don't think Tony is going to be jealous of a guy covered in mucus, do you? Not to mention, I have this ugly rash under my nose from blowing it so much."

Luisa groaned. Thorne's mouth ticked into a smile. He smothered it quickly, so as to make sure his voice didn't betray his real feelings.

"Well, keep me posted," she said. "And let me know if you need anything. I can get you chicken soup or something boring like that if it will help. I really need you there, Thorne."

"That's sweet, Luisa. I'll go to sleep really early tonight and hope I feel better tomorrow. I'll make sure to text you in the morning so you have the whole day to plan in case I can't come."

"You will not get any of my money or any of my future money if you bail on me at last minute like this," she said, all the kindness leaving her voice. Back to the typical, selfish Luisa that he knew so well. "Maybe you should think about having a replacement companion if you are not available. What am I supposed to tell my friends?"

"The truth."

"That I don't have a boyfriend!"

"No, Luisa," he said, then coughed violently. "That your boyfriend got sick."

She hung up on him.

Thorne pocketed his phone and pulled on his coat. He couldn't believe that he had just canceled on one of his most frequent regular clients. Luisa's desperate scheming against her ex had helped him store enough money away for the down payment on his house, which he had just purchased two months ago. He needed clients like her to keep up his monthly mortgage payments. And the extra cash he could get on holidays, plus Luisa's _$2,000_ promised tip.

He could do a lot with an extra two grand.

But spending New Year's Eve with Luisa's tongue down his throat was not going to work when his mind would be on Cress the entire evening. No matter how much it cost him financially, his mind needed to be in the game or he would embarrass Luisa and himself. This was just a temporary setback while he sorted out his stupid emotions. He'd make it up to Luisa later, maybe offer a discount.

He wondered what excuse Cress had given for his absence at the party tomorrow, if any. Had she already told them that she'd dumped him? Would she still go to the party, even if she only had Jacin and Winter for company? A party with his sister's modeling agency did not sound like the best option for her without a friend at her side. He imagined her standing next to Jacin, watching him drool over Winter as she posed for a bunch of photos.

It was Cress's nightmare.

He really needed to think of something else to do tomorrow. Sitting at home thinking about Cress at Winter's party would not work out for him. Wallowing was not his style. He just needed a party of his own to go to.

He tried to think of which friends he could call at last minute as he crunched down his walkway to his mailbox. Zipping his jacket up more tightly around himself, he ran through the list of people he could consider his friends.

He had a lot of buddies who he was friendly with, but no one he was particularly close to. It was better that way. It made certain that he didn't run into anyone he knew when he went out with clients, and in the rare case that he did, he could just pretend it was a date too. No one was ever surprised to hear that he was with someone else. He had a reputation amongst his friends, too.

Lately, he had chosen to forego friendship whenever he had a client who wanted his service. As a result, the number of texts he received with invites to parties was much lower these days. That had been fine with him, really, because he went to enough parties with his clients.

He was not fine with it today.

Thorne absentmindedly pulled a few chunks of ice off of his mailbox and reached inside. He hadn't checked his mail all week and inside it was stuffed to the brim. He sorted through it as he walked back up his walkway. Junk, more junk, a few business Christmas cards from stores where he often made purchases, more junk. An envelope from Cress Darnel.

Thorne stopped walking. Her address was stamped at the top, and though he knew he had it somewhere in all of his client papers, he had never really bothered to look at it. She lived in the Warehouse District, not far from the Minneapolis Central Library. Was that the library she worked for? He realized he didn't even know. There were so many things he didn't know about her.

He clumsily tore open the envelope with one hand, holding it still with the pinky of his injured hand. There was a check inside. That was it. It was made out to him in the amount of $2,400. His mouth dropped open. In the little part of the check where one could write a reason for the money, she had just scribbled: _Rest of fee plus tip_.

He double checked the envelope to make sure he hadn't missed anything, but there was nothing. No handwritten note, no location of the party tomorrow, no nothing.

Cress was not in love with him at all. Cress was done with him.

"Please do not contact me," she had said.

He had respected her wishes all week and would continue to do so.

Shaking his head, he trudged back inside. If he wasn't going to be with Cress tomorrow, then he was going to do anything it took to get over her. He would start this new year on his own terms, not on the terms of one of his clients or on the terms of a woman who clearly had him by the balls.

He pulled out his phone again, trying to think of who to contact. Who did he actually like? Who was a tolerable companion for him? Could he find anybody who was _more_ than tolerable?

He didn't want to be around a client, but he did like women. It had been way too long since he'd kissed anyone for pleasure, not business. Cress had ended that drought. He had to keep up his momentum.

After all, New Year's Eve was a night for pleasure, not business, and it was about time he acted like it.

He needed a guys' night out to get shitfaced at some club while they picked up chicks. No pretending, no money.

He'd forget Cress and meet some gorgeous woman who was also overdue for some attention. Someone who wouldn't care what he did for a living because they wouldn't be looking for anyone they would remember the next day either.

Thorne thumbed through his contacts and began sending out messages.


	29. Chapter 29

Cress had two big secrets this New Year's Eve.

The first was that she still did not have a boyfriend named Carswell Thorne. The second was that she had accepted a job with Parker Design and Production only hours earlier.

The latter secret made her feel infinitely better about the former. _This_ was the life change she had been waiting for. Knowing that she had something bigger and better waiting for her in the coming year gave her the strength to attend Winter's New Year's Eve party.

Then again, she hadn't even arrived yet.

"I know, I know," she said, sliding into the car.

Jacin raised an inquisitive eyebrow at her. Even with his coat on, Cress could tell that he was dressed to the nines. His hair was slicked back like it had been at Christmas dinner only last weekend. "What?"

"I'm wearing the same dress I wore for Christmas." She shut the door and unbuttoned her coat before putting on her seatbelt. It would take at least twenty minutes to get to the center of St. Paul from her house in Minneapolis, and that was without New Year's traffic. "I only got to wear it for a few minutes before that fire, so no one needs to know." She winked at him as she crossed her bare legs.

Tights would have been nice, especially with the frigid cold outside, but she didn't feel like being oppressed by an elastic band around her waist the entire night. Tonight was not a night to try to compete with anyone. Not when she was going to a party hosted by a modeling agency. She was prepared to be insecure and miserable, but at least she would be able to breathe under her dress and wear heels that showed off her newly painted toenails.

Another perk of wearing her dress again tonight? Winter would definitely not be wearing the same one. She was already at the party, getting ready in something from the agency.

Even though Cress still loved her red dress in theory, the experience of seeing Winter in it at her aunts' house last weekend had ruined it for her. But it was the fanciest thing she had. After sending Thorne his check, she didn't have money to buy a new dress, let alone one that was fancy enough for this type of party. At least only her sister and future brother-in-law had seen her in it. Now she just had to pretend like she didn't care.

Jacin shrugged and put the car into drive. "I don't care what you wear."

"I know you don't," she replied, almost sourly, tugging on her dress. It had bunched up as she had taken a seat and crossed her legs, and there was a little too much skin between her and Jacin. She laid her coat over her legs and settled back in her seat.

"I didn't mean it like that." Jacin's mouth pressed together as he turned out of her street. "I meant that…you know, you look good in whatever you wear, Shortcake."

She looked down at her lap. Had Jacin just complimented her? _Jacin?_

"Winter will look amazing, I bet," she finally said.

Jacin's shoulders relaxed as he nodded. "You're telling me. Apparently they're showing off a new line or something. Don't tell Winter that I don't remember the exact brand."

"I won't."

She wouldn't tell Winter anything. Not because she wanted to help Jacin, but because she doubted she would even see Winter during the entire party. The more Winter had described it to her last night, the more Cress dreaded going to it. She had planned on leaving after an hour if it turned out to be as bad as she imagined it would be. But with her car still in the shop that would mean paying several hundred dollars for a cab or riding in the backseat of an Uber with drunk passengers. Neither seemed like a good option.

More likely than not she would be stuck getting a ride home with Winter and Jacin as planned.

"So, Carswell is sick?"

Cress looked out the window. "Stomach bug. He wanted to come really badly."

"Does that mean you had to cancel your dinner as well? Didn't he have a romantic evening planned?"

She nodded. "He'll make it up to me. We can celebrate any day, you know."

In reality, getting the job was her celebration. She was already crafting a story in her mind that she could tell in a few weeks or months—whatever she decided on—about how the job had been the reason she and her perfect fake boyfriend had broken up.

Lying about his sickness today had actually been much easier than she had imagined. It was hopefully one of the last lies that she would have to tell about Carswell Thorne.

"Too bad, though. At least he'll save some money on the restaurant."

"Right."

"Got any other plans this week?"

"You know, I'm pretty tired. I normally go to bed at like, ten. Can we just listen to some music until we get there?"

Before he could respond, Cress reached for the audio tuner and turned up the radio a little too loudly. In part, it was true: it was only nine and if she were home she would already be slipping into her pajamas. But mostly, she just didn't want to talk to Jacin any more than she had to.

Nor lie any more than absolutely necessary.

* * *

"Girl, you look sexy now," said the make-up artist, giving her a proud nod before turning the chair for her reveal.

Cress held her breath and squeezed her eyes shut. She had been sitting there for only twenty minutes and wished that she could sit there longer. Though the make-up artist had been pushy and borderline rude, it was better to sit in this chair than stand alone at the party.

Before make-up, she had gotten her hair done. The stylist, Vincenzo, had said that her hair was thick, which made it easier to style. He had not failed her. He had given her a side chignon while leaving a few locks loose to add a romantic, slightly messy look. The long chain earrings she wore were accentuated now, which Cress preferred.

When the chair stopped moving, she snuck a glance at the mirror in front of her through squinted, heavily painted eyelids. She breathed a sigh of relief. Her make-up was acceptable, much more so than when she did it herself, bringing out the blue in her eyes and the pink in her lips.

She smiled at the make-up artist through the mirror, seeing the way her lips shimmered in the light. "Thank you. It's perfect."

Not that anyone besides her would notice.

She hopped off the chair, carefully steadying herself on her heels before letting go. She had worn the same heels from Christmas too and remembered how she had tripped going up the stairs. At least the rugburn on her knee was barely visible now. From what she could gather, there were no stairs in this club either.

It was…sort of a club. Cress was not too familiar with nightclubs as it was not really her scene. It was Iko's scene, but her traitor cousin had bailed last minute in order to spend a _romantic evening in_ with Liam.

"I can give Liam my ticket since Carswell is sick," Cress had argued. But Iko had insisted that while she was thoroughly tempted by a glamorous evening, her boyfriend was sour about the idea of her dancing with other guys on New Year's.

So here Cress was, in this place that reminded her of a warehouse that had been turned into a club. The floor was gigantic, split into three parts without any doors to separate them. On one side, there was a small stage. The models walked down the stage to remixed pop music that blared throughout the entire floor.

Winter herself was not modeling tonight, as she had only just been signed, but she was hanging around the stage and "backstage"—wherever that was, Cress didn't know—and Jacin had gone off to find her while Cress had gotten her hair and make-up done.

People were mingling in front of the stage, watching the models and discussing things that Cress probably had nothing to add to. That was definitely not the area where she should be spending her evening.

On the other side of the floor was the make-over area. When Cress had arrived, a hostess had ushered her over there to get in line for hair and make-up. She had tried to start up a conversation with another uncoupled woman in the line, but a guy had quickly joined her and cut Cress out of the would-be conversation.

From where she stood now, she could only barely see the stage over the heads of people in the middle of the floor who were dancing. To the left of them was the exit and to the right of them a few couches and chairs around the bar and DJ, resembling a lounge area, but with all the people dancing right next to it, it didn't offer any relief from the crowds.

Cress swallowed and tried not to think about how she was alone amongst hundreds of strangers. Squaring her shoulders, she headed towards the bar.

It was not an easy feat. This was a popular song and everyone was energetic, throwing up their hands and shouting. Most people were around her age or a little older, but Cress even spotted a few people closer to her parents' age, totally inebriated and grinding in a way that made her cringe.

She made it to the bar after only bumping into three people on the floor and narrowly missing getting a drink spilled on her. She considered it a victory.

The bar was crowded, much more noticeably for a short person who barely reached over the bar itself. While she waited for a bartender to notice her, she checked out the couches. There were currently two spots open, one in a sort of velvety plush looking armchair, and one next to a couple that was making out. Instinct told her to make a beeline for the armchair before anyone else could take it, but she knew that she could not sit through this party completely sober. She just wanted to have a drink or two to take the edge off so she could get through this, be a good sister, and make it home in time to forget all about it.

After what felt like ages, she finally managed to order herself two shots. She downed them right there at the bar, making a face at the fire burning down her throat, but at least it was over. The familiar heat in her cheeks rose almost instantly. To her dismay, the armchair was taken by the time she left the bar.

Grudgingly, Cress sat down next to the couple. She felt a little bit like the first night when she had slept next to Thorne and tried to get as far away from him as possible. She was so close to the armrest of the couch now that she was sinking into the crack of the cushion a little.

She tried to focus on the people dancing rather than the people who sat around her. People watching was not so terrible. She liked to make up stories about the people she saw when she sat alone in parks and this was not so different, after all. The music was not terrible, either, especially considering she had just been listening to this stuff on the radio with Jacin.

"This seat taken?"

Cress startled as a guy sat down on the armrest of the sofa right next to her, making it impossible for his butt to not touch her arm unless she moved towards the kissing couple. Reluctantly, she shifted and tried not to look at the guy. Why didn't she have the courage to tell him not to sit there? And what kind of person would sit on an armrest when he didn't know the person whose arm was attached to that armrest anyway?

"You a model?" said the guy, nudging her with his leg.

Cress gawked up at him. He had a teasing grin on his face. "Oh," she said, looking back at her lap, "you're joking."

"Me? Joking? How could I joke about such beauty?"

Cress scoffed. "Please."

"I'm not joking," he insisted, nudging her foot with his foot this time. Cress tugged on the skirt of her dress. "I've been trying to work up the courage to talk to you for the last half hour."

That made Cress look up. "Really?"

"Couldn't take my eyes off you while you were waiting by the bar. Look at that dress." His eyes roved over her body, almost lewdly. They met hers as a blush crept up her neck. "Rather, I should say, look at you in that dress. Can I buy you a drink?"

Cress regarded the man more earnestly. She guessed he was probably in his late twenties and had some sort of business job that required him to have a professional haircut and perfectly shaven face. He was wearing a white shirt and a tie, as if he had just gotten out of the office. He was rather good looking, actually, with dark skin and piercing eyes. She realized that he could be a model himself, considering the party.

She didn't like the way that he had bumped her leg or taken a seat on the armrest but then again, she didn't try to hit on people she was attracted to, so maybe she needed to cut him some slack. Getting a drink with someone was normal for these types of situations. She could just sip on something for a while. Maybe talking to this guy would be better than sitting there and pretending like he wasn't sitting next to her. And if she moved any closer to the couple on her left she would become part of a threesome.

"Okay," she said, rubbing her hands over her legs nervously, "but you're buying."

The guy broke out into a smile. "That's what I said." He stood up and held out his hand. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Aimery."

Cress stayed seated but shook his hand. "Cress."

Aimery looked smug. "Cool name."

"Likewise."

Cress watched him swagger to the bar, clearly happy that she had not turned him down. She prepared herself mentally for small talk and light flirtation. Not her favorite thing at all, but no matter who she talked to it would be one or the other. She could be stuck talking to Winter and all of her model friends. This guy was kind of old for her, though, wasn't he?

What happened tonight didn't really matter anymore, though, and all she wanted to do was get through the evening. She kept her eyes fixed on Aimery as he—a tall person—leaned against the bar casually and turned to smile at her. She smiled back shyly, but refused to remove her gaze from him. It was nice that he was buying her a drink and thought she was pretty, but she wasn't stupid. If he put anything in her drink she would know.

Aimery chatted up one of the female bartenders as he waited for his order. She realized that she hadn't even told him what she wanted, but he gave off the impression that he probably knew a lot more about drinks than she did. If he got her a bad drink, she supposed, she could easily use it as a reason to discontinue speaking with him. Girls had turned down guys for lesser reasons, after all.

She saw him give another smile to the bartender and then returned with two large flutes filled with pink liquid. She gave him a curious look as he handed it to her.

"They're grapefruit mimosas rimmed with pink sandy sugar," he said with that smug smile. "To match the cute color of your skin when you blush."

His line alone made the color rise to her cheeks again but her face fell at the thought of Thorne telling her how he liked when she blushed. Maybe it was a generic thing for guys to say. Maybe they couldn't think of anything else to say around her.

She knew it wasn't true. Thorne had whispered many compliments to her in between passionate kisses on the morning of being snowed in. He had even kissed his way up her blush as she had reddened at his words. Just thinking about it gave her goosebumps.

She toasted Aimery, who had taken a seat on the armrest again, but her mind shifted to Thorne as she drank her mimosa. It was hard not to be sad thinking about him, wherever he was, probably with one of his clients. She wondered if he would think of her at all—if he had thought about her at all this week. He had been very clear that they could not move forward together and the more that she thought about it this week, the more she agreed with him.

Now that she had accepted a job in the field she had majored in, she supposed she understood even better how he felt. He had a job that he was passionate about. He had created his own business at a young age. He had a big house and a lot of money. Why would he give that all up for someone he had a fling with over the weekend?

That was what she had decided to call it. Despite how much she wanted to, she couldn't bring herself to believe that Thorne had made up every emotion he'd claimed to have had for her that weekend. But she also knew that guys could have emotions when they were thinking with other body parts that were not just their hearts, and they had definitely spent a lot of time making out.

That was what fling was all about, wasn't it? At no time had Thorne ever said he wanted more from her than a weekend.

Maybe if they had spent more time talking and less time making out she would have found that out earlier.

"How did you end up at this party, Cress?" Aimery asked.

"My sister is a model at this agency," she said, coming back to the present.

Aimery raised his flute in the air like he was saluting her. "Your sister is a model? See! I knew I wasn't far off about you being a model. No wonder you're gorgeous."

Cress shook her head. "We're not related."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean we don't share the same gene pool. We don't look anything alike."

"You're a tough person to compliment, you know that?"

"Sorry." That made her think of Thorne too. He would be annoyed right now if he knew that she was subtly putting herself down again. She should be confident right now. She did look pretty, even if she wasn't as pretty as a model, and a guy was hitting on her. Plus, she had just landed a job that she'd wanted for a long time. "I'm a little nervous," she added before tilting her head back to finish off the mimosa.

"Wow, you finished that quickly. Can I get you a refill?"

"I shouldn't." She set her glass on the floor by her feet.

Aimery tapped the crook of her neck, right where it met with her shoulder. Her eyes closed briefly as she recalled the memory of Thorne's lips right at that spot. "Wanna dance, Cress?"

Swallowing hard, Cress nodded. Anything to get Thorne out of her mind.

His finger trailed down her arm until his hand was over hers and he grabbed it, pulling her to her feet. Shakily, Cress allowed him to lead her a few feet forward until they were sandwiched between other dancing couples.

She didn't really know how to dance very well, regardless of whatever stories Thorne had told about her regarding their first meeting. But she learned quickly she didn't need any steps. It wasn't a slow song and Aimery turned her around so that her back was against his stomach. He moved them together to the beat of the music, holding on to her waist with one hand.

She was hesitant at first, nervous to the point where she was almost throwing them off beat. She reminded herself that this was what normal people did at parties, especially New Year's parties, and this was what she needed to do to move on. Aimery was a little too close for her liking, but how many people had she really danced with like this?

Cress closed her eyes, imagining that she was with Thorne, and thought about how these movements would feel with him instead. He was about the same height, after all, and Thorne's hand had been around her waist for nearly the entirety of Christmas weekend. She was used to this touch by now. She leaned her head back against his chest and exhaled, letting the rhythm of the music carry her away from here.

She rocked her hips back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.

When the song changed, they kept at it. The hand at her waist moved lower and soon was at her hip. Her eyes opened as Aimery's—not Thorne's—other hand snaked down her other hip, a little too close to her butt, to where her dress ended on her thigh. A nervous prickle went down her spine which she tried to ignore.

"You're so sexy, baby," he drawled in her ear. "I like how you dance for me." He bent down as he continued to grind against her and ran both his hands down her legs. As his fingers moved their way up and continued under the hem, pulling the dress up along with him, Cress jumped away. She bumped into the couple next to them and stumbled, suddenly feeling dizzy and overwhelmed as she tried to straighten out her dress.

Aimery caught her and tried to dance up on her again. "It's okay, baby," he said. "If you want some privacy we can go to one of the private rooms. I heard they make them available for those who pay. I've got plenty of money."

Cress wobbled on her heels again, unsteady as she tried to get his hands off of her. Private rooms? What kind of party was this? They were in Minnesota, not New York.

"First of all, I'm not your baby," she said. There were so many people around them and everyone was sweaty and gorgeous and grinding all over each other. She had to get out of this crowd. "And second of all…second of all…" She tried to think of her second point as she backed away toward the lounge area, but Aimery was in her face again, still smug. "Leave me alone."

"Aww, come on," he said, giving her butt a smack as she walked away.

Her mouth dropped open and she twirled back to face him. After steadying herself on her feet, she said, "You...you... _bastard_! Stop!"

"That's right. A bastard who'll make it worth your while."

"She said _no_ ," said a stern voice behind her that she recognized.

Cress's shoulders sagged with relief as Jacin grabbed her by the arm and moved her behind him. Winter's familiar arms hugged her tightly as Jacin yelled at Aimery. After a minute, Aimery took off in the opposite direction after flipping Jacin off and calling Cress a whore.

Jacin made a move in his direction but Winter grabbed him by the arm. "Don't."

"What were you thinking, Cress?" said Jacin. "You have a boyfriend!"

Cress rolled her eyes even though she was still kind of shaken from her dance with creepy Aimery. "And he's clearly not here." She made a grand, sweeping gesture with her arms as if to show how Thorne was nowhere to be found.

"Cress!" said Winter, exchanging a look with Jacin. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I just need a drink after that." She moved in the direction of the bar and Winter and Jacin followed her. Seeing how crowded it was, she pointed at Jacin. "You're tall. Can you order me a shot? Otherwise I'll have to stand here for like an hour just so someone will see me."

Jacin nodded and moved closer to the bar, pushing his way past people like he owned the party. Cress turned gloomily to Winter. "Great party."

"It's a little over the top, don't you think? Not that I'm not used to it, but I didn't expect so many guests."

"If everyone has four tickets to spare, that's...well...a lot of guests. How is it going with your new company?"

"Really well! Everyone is so sweet, but I knew that already. I had to meet all of them during my interview. We're like a big family."

"Awesome." Cress stared back at the dancing crowd. Why had she gotten the one creep? Why was it always her?

"I'm sorry that Jacin left you," said Winter. "He was supposed to bring you over to that side when you were done with your makeup." She pointed at this stage. "They did a fantastic job, by the way. You look stunning."

Cress nodded. "I know." She double-checked her hair to make sure that her dance with Aimery hadn't screwed up her chignon. "I wish I could take Vincenzo home with me."

"Who's—"

Jacin returned almost instantly with three shot glasses. Winter shook her head when he handed it to her. "I shouldn't. This is like my first day on the job."

Cress accepted her shot glass without hesitation. "Everyone is wasted, Winter."

Jacin, of course, respected her wishes and held her shot glass in one hand while he toasted Cress with the other glass. "Happy New Year's to my two favorite women."

Oh _stars_. She had forgotten momentarily that she was his _second_ favorite woman. She smiled as cheerily as possible and took her shot at the same time that Jacin did.

She had been planning to drink Winter's abandoned shot, too, but Jacin drank it himself. "Whew," he said, stacking his two glasses with Cress's. "That helps. This party is a little intense for me."

Next to him, Winter frowned. "You don't need to be drinking that much, Jacin. This is a work party for me and you need to make a good impression."

"This is only my second drink of the night," said Jacin. "And it's intense _because_ it's a work party. We all need to loosen up a bit."

Winter and Jacin began to squabble about how much alcohol was actually appropriate, but Cress tuned them out. Now that she was away from Aimery, she was relaxing a little and swaying to the music in her spot. She was glad to be around two people that she knew even if those two people were perhaps not _her_ favorite at the moment.

She closed her eyes again, hoping to get stuck in a nice daydream, but opened them again when she was hit with an abrupt wave of dizziness. She should have never left the couch.

"Hey," said Winter suddenly, "isn't that Carswell?"

Cress snapped to attention. "Where?"

"There! On the other side of the bar."

A horrible, gut wrenching dread twisted at her stomach as she frantically scanned the bar area. Lunar Agency's party seemed to have exploded in the short time she had been out on the dance floor. The models had to be taking a break from walking on the stage because tall, leggy, beautiful women blocked her view in every which direction. There were more handsome men than before too—models too? Or companions like Jacin?

Everyone was so damn tall.

Winter had to be mistaken. Cress had Thorne's ticket in her purse which was locked in the coat check. Thorne was hot enough to be a model but certainly wasn't one. He couldn't have come in on his own unless he was accompanied by someone who had tickets to spare. If he had a client who was a model like Winter, wouldn't he have mentioned it?

She felt herself getting sweaty as her eyes landed on the back of a guy with brown hair like Thorne's. She swiped at her neck, heart racing, as she waited for him to turn around.

She latched onto Winter's arm when he finally did and revealed himself to be someone else.

"Is that who you mean?" she said, pointing to him. It was like ten thousand pounds had been lifted off of her shoulders. "That's not Carswell, don't worry. He's sick, remember?"

"No," said Winter, pointing to the opposite side of the bar. "Over there. The black-haired bartender is blocking him right now."

The world felt like it was tilting as Cress tried to go higher on her tiptoes, higher than her heels would allow. If it was him, he had to know someone. Was this why Thorne had insisted that he'd be at Winter's party? Was he that cruel?

No, Thorne was not cruel. Afraid of commitment and possibly a player, maybe, but cruel? No.

No, no, no.

Unable to wait any longer, Cress left Winter and Jacin and moved to her left, hoping the angle would change her ability to see. To her dismay, they followed her. She ignored them and tried to see through the many updos and collared necks.

She breathed a sigh of relief when the bartender finally moved and there were only women sitting behind him.

Then she saw him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments and kudos! Reviews are the fuel (and tears) of fanfic writers.
> 
> Up next: Chapter thirty! I can't believe I've reached thirty chapters! It depends on what comes up as I'm writing, but I imagine about 4-5 more chapters until the end and a few epilogues (at least one). I can clearly see the end coming up in my mind.


	30. Chapter 30

_Stars_ , there he was.

Partially blocked by a tall, bulky guy, Thorne was sitting in one of the lounge chairs on the other side of the bar. A cute blonde girl sat on his lap, his hand on her waist.

Cress's heart dropped. The women who sat at the bar had been obscuring her view of him before. But no, this was definitely her fake boyfriend at her sister's New Year's Eve party.

And Winter and Jacin could definitely see him too.

As the tall guy shifted and pointed at somebody in the crowd, Thorne and the girl on his lap began to crack up. He patted her waist with his hand and she got up, pulling down her skirt and straightening to at least six feet. Cress saw Thorne's eyes roam up and down her form before he got to his feet himself and extended his hand to her.

They were a beautiful couple, she had to admit. Thorne had his debonair good looks about him as usual and she, of course, was as beautiful as Winter. The girl was as tall as him, but only with her heels, at least.

"What the…," said Jacin next to her.

"Cress?" said Winter, rather softly. "I don't think…I mean…that's probably just a friend of his, right? Or a sister, maybe?"

"That's right," said Jacin, clearing his throat. "Carswell has sisters, doesn't he?"

"No," Cress breathed, her body beginning to tremble.

As Winter and Jacin began to make up reasons for why Thorne might be jokingly twirling the blonde girl, Cress tried to think of any reason why he might be here. This could be one of his clients. If it was, there was no way she could have the heart to go up to him and try to pretend like she was still with him. If someone had done that to her during her time with Thorne, she would have been devastated. Beautiful or not, this girl could be as insecure as her.

Maybe she needed to give Thorne the benefit of the doubt too. He didn't know what party Cress was going to tonight necessarily. If someone had hired him to attend this party, it could have been months ago. Or if it was just this week, could she really expect him to call her and ask her if it was okay for him to show up, when she had explicitly said not to be in touch?

The girl grabbed his other hand as she spun back into him and gave a sexy shake of her shoulders, looking like she wanted to take him out on the dance floor. Cress wished that she could read Thorne better. That he wasn't such a good actor. If only she could tell when he was acting, then maybe now she would know for real if this was someone he was really attracted to or not.

As their tall acquaintance moved, Thorne and the girl were obscured from her view once more.

"That's it," said Jacin. He deposited his shot glasses in Winter's hands. "I'm going over there and Carswell Thorne and I are going to have a man-to-man chat. Outside. Just me and him."

Cress's heart began to race—not that it had ever really stopped since Winter had noticed Thorne. But now it jumped out of her throat, as if both Thorne and her were in incredible danger. "No, please don't," she said, grabbing the back of Jacin's suit jacket.

"You said he doesn't have any sisters," Jacin growled. "He said he was home sick and unable to make it tonight. If you think I'm going to let him disrespect you like this, especially in public, you're wrong."

Maybe this was the perfect time to let it all go. Intentionally or not, Thorne certainly wasn't making it look like the two of them had any sort of future. This was the type of scenario that always resulted in drama. She had caught him fake cheating on her. So had her family.

Maybe this was how she could break it off. It was ugly and not at all one of the scenarios that had ever come to mind as an option, but soon it wouldn't matter anymore. This would give her an easy out.

"I'll—I'll go," she told Jacin.

"You're putty around him. He'll just smooth talk his way back into your heart when really he deserves a good beating."

Thorne had both his arms around the girl now, she saw, and the two of them were dancing to their own private song by the chairs. The tall guy was shaking his head with a smile.

"Jacin," said Winter, "if Cress doesn't want you to go, you shouldn't. This is between her and her boyfriend."

"Ex-boyfriend," said Jacin, but Winter grabbed his hand and shook her head.

"Do you want to leave, Cress?" Winter said. "The door is right there through the dance floor. We can leave and go home right now. Don't give him a second thought. He's not worth it."

Jacin took out his phone and began snapping pictures. "I'm gonna put these on the Internet on one of those cheating websites. That way the bastard will hopefully never get a decent date again."

"No!" Cress said. "Please. I should go talk to him. Maybe it's just a misunderstanding."

Though her sister and her sister's fiancé had been more than willing to rationalize his behavior in the beginning, the sight of Thorne and the girl dancing had clearly changed their minds about whether or not this could really be a misunderstanding. Still, with one silencing look from Winter, Jacin pressed his lips together.

"Can you stay here? I don't want an audience," Cress said.

"We'll be right here if you need us," said Winter.

"And we are more than ready," Jacin added.

It didn't take long to reach the other side of the bar, despite the unsteady feeling Cress had every time she walked. What could she say to him? What could she do that wouldn't embarrass either her or Thorne? There was the girl, too, but as Cress saw Thorne's handsome smile and devilish dimple, her concerns for the girl began to vanish. It was about time she started thinking of herself first, for once.

She stopped on the other side of the bar and cocked her head to study him. He was whispering something in the girl's ear now, and she was looking very excited about the prospect of whatever he was proposing, nodding her head eagerly.

Of course she was. Thorne was just as irresistible today as he always was. He had on a dress shirt and tie, his collar partially unbuttoned and no sweater to make him look more family-friendly. She bet he smelled like his _Lady Luck_ cologne too.

Maybe this was the real Thorne. Maybe his smooth words and moves were always a part of him, and his work was just an extension of that. It would make sense why he was so good at his job, then.

Cress nudged her elbow against a guy who was sitting at the bar. "Mind if I borrow this?" Before he could respond, she grabbed his beer and took a sip.

"Hey," said the guy, a friendly smile appearing on his surprised face. "How about I buy you your own?"

Cress drank a little more and then deposited the bottle back into his hand. "Thanks, darlin'," she said, trying to think of what Thorne would say in this situation. "But I have to go see about a guy."

Well, maybe she was thinking about what Matt Damon would say in _Good Will Hunting_ , but he was an actor just like Thorne was, even if they were in completely different fields. They both got paid to say whatever someone else wanted them to.

Drawing back her shoulders, she pretended she was a model and cat-walked forward, one heel in front of the next, sashaying hips that looked curvier in her mind than surely to anyone else. But when she was only a few feet away from Thorne, who was still dancing with the girl—a slow, fairly sensual dance—her confidence dropped.

 _Stars_ , what was she _doing?_ She should've taken Winter's advice and left the party when she had a chance. She was not the protagonist in a movie starring Matt Damon or a good actress by any means. Nothing good could come of this situation.

Of confronting Thorne.

He wasn't her boyfriend. He never had been. This was all for show and this show could not end well.

"Looking for a dance partner?" said a guy, making Cress tear her eyes off Thorne and the girl. She glanced up, and up, and up. It was the tall guy who had been blocking Thorne.

"N-n-no," she stuttered, taking a step back and nearly tumbling over the armrest of one of the couches. The guy grabbed her arm and prevented it, though, pulling her back to her feet. Somewhere in between, she knocked over a glass which shattered on the floor.

"Cress?"

Cress closed her eyes at the familiar drawl.

_Shit._

"You know her, Thorne?" said the tall guy, still holding on to her arm and waist as if worried she might trip again.

Cress turned to face Thorne, her cheeks flushed, her body temperature boiling, and her mind more than a little dizzy. He looked like he was posing for a prom picture with the way he had stopped dancing and was standing there with the girl, almost frozen, looking like he had seen a ghost.

"I just came to say hi," she said quickly, feeling like she might throw up. "You know, because Winter and Jacin are here. They would want me to…you know…say hi."

She swallowed hard and clutched the tall guy for support. It didn't matter that she didn't know him. In this moment all that mattered was that Thorne was at the same party and they had run into each other and she had lied to her entire family and her knees were wobbly and she missed him and he was so beautiful and she wished she were the girl in his arms. Her fingers dug into Tall Guy's forearm. "They're probably wondering…um, what you're doing?"

She pleaded to him with her eyes as he stared at her, still seeming shell-shocked and a little uncertain about her presence. She hoped what she had said had been okay. That he was aware enough to understand the implications of Winter and Jacin being there. That it meant she hadn't broken up with him yet in their eyes.

As Thorne worked his jaw, she realized that he might not care about the implications.

"And now that I've seen, um, what you're doing, I can go back to them and…and tell them."

"You okay?" Tall Guy said, looking between her and Thorne. "You need any help getting back to your friends?"

"That's a good idea, Anthony," said the girl who was holding onto Thorne. "She looks a little...tipsy."

Cress's eyes locked with Thorne's. She didn't have the ability to do anything else but stand there and stare at him.

Thorne took the girl's hands off his chest and placed them at her sides. "Uh, no, Émilie. That's my, uh, girlfriend."

Tall Guy barked out a laugh as Cress blinked furiously. "Your _girlfriend_? Nice one, Thorne."

Thorne looked like he was trying to collect his thoughts.

"Wait, you have a girlfriend?" Émilie said.

"Yes?" Thorne said uncertainly, still looking like he was trying to solve a math equation.

"You said you wanted to go out and pick up chicks!" Tall Guy burst out, letting go of Cress. "That we were going to have a night for bachelors and get laid, man. I didn't get us VIP passes to the hottest New Year's Eve party in St. Paul so that you could go with your _girlfriend_ and leave me as the third wheel. That's why I gave them to you and not Chien."

"Get laid?" the blonde girl said, scoffing. "Is that what you thought? That if you danced with me and told me I was gorgeous, you would just get me to sleep with you? And when you have a girlfriend? Who do you take me for?"

"Émilie, I—"

But Thorne didn't get to finish his thought, because Emily slapped him and stalked away. Thorne's hand came up to his cheek, dazed, as Tall Guy started laughing.

"This isn't funny, Anthony," Thorne said with a scowl.

"Is this girl really your girlfriend or were you just sick of blondie?"

For a moment, Cress thought that she was supposed to be blondie, because she had blonde hair too, of course. Maybe the drinks were finally getting to her. Of course he meant the tall, blonde girl that Cress had just ruined Thorne's chances with.

And what now? Was she supposed to slap Thorne too? Was that how this horrible situation would play itself out? Could she bring herself to do it, if she knew Winter and Jacin were watching?

Thorne looked all around the dance floor and bar, eyes darting purposefully, as if he was trying to find someone. When his eyes caught somewhere over her shoulder, he licked his lips. "Yeah, she's my girl and I think we need some time alone to discuss this…misunderstanding."

Before either of them could say anything, Thorne grabbed Cress by the wrist and dragged her away from the chairs. She could barely keep up with how fast he was walking, and her dizziness increased exponentially as she tried to maintain balance. They didn't go towards the dance floor, but towards the stage where the models had walked before. There was a small narrow area, almost like the corridor, between the stage and the wall. They passed doors that were the same black of the wall with the word PRIVATE written on them.

"In here," said Thorne, stopping when the door that said MEN resisted their entry. He banged on the door like a madman. "Open up! Emergency!"

Cress gasped as a guy opened the door, pulling urgently on the zipper of his pants. "Fire?" he asked.

"No," said Thorne, pulling him out and pushing Cress in. She caught herself on the dirty sink as Thorne shut the door behind them and flipped the lock. "What are you doing here?" he hissed.

"I…I…," was all she could stutter, because Thorne pushed away from the door and came right in her face, leaning his hands on the sink as she bent back towards it, startled by his abrupt closeness.

"If that had been one of my clients, Cress," he said, "you could have just cost me my business."

"I-I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to do anything. Winter and Jacin caught you dancing with that girl and Jacin wanted to beat you up because you were cheating on me and…and…" Her chest heaved as she stared up into his eyes. "I came over so he wouldn't make a scene. I tried to mention them, hoping you would understand the situation and maybe take over. You're much better at impromptu situations than I am, you know that. And then you were there"—she gulped as his eyes dropped her lips—"and you were…you _are_ ….still so, so…b-beautiful."

Thorne's eyes flickered back to hers before he took a step back. "How much have you had to drink, Cress?"

"A f-few shots," she said, trying to regain her composure as Thorne gave her more space. In the privacy of the bathroom, away from all the music and the models and Winter and Jacin, it was a little easier to think. But only a little. "I danced with this guy and he gave me a drink too but —"

"So you're telling me that this party that I'm at, which I intentionally came to in order to stop thinking about you, is the same one that you're at? This is Winter's party? The one you and I were supposed to go to until you dumped me?"

"Wait," said Cress, holding up her hands and then lowering them quickly to the sink again to steady herself. "I didn't dump you. You dumped me, remember? ' _It's over, Cress._ '"

Thorne shook his head, eyes flashing. "It wasn't over. I had to say that. Your crazy aunts made me break up with you."

"W-what?"

"Levana and Sybil had footage of us. They have footage of everyone in that house. And they have us"—he gestured from her to him—"caught on tape talking about how you hired me. They think I'm an escort, Cress. A real escort."

If Cress's legs had been trembling before, then what she felt now was like an earthquake under her body. She shook all over as Thorne's words sunk in.

Levana.

And Sybil.

Had footage?

_They knew._

"It's sick," he said. "They've got us—me and you—" His hand brushed her cheek. "Monday morning. Sunday night. Everything."

He caught her as her legs collapsed, pulling her against him and sliding down the wall of the bathroom until she was sitting awkwardly in his lap, shaking. "They can't know. They _can't_."

"They do," he said softly.

"And you didn't tell me?" She looked up at him, knowing her tears were ready to leak out of the corner of her eyes.

"They blackmailed me. Told me I had to dump you or they'd tell your family about your crush on Jacin. Somehow they knew, Cress. They heard us talking."

Cress's gut clenched tighter.

 _They knew about Jacin_.

He stopped and shook his head. "My plan was to tell you the truth in the car. I tried to break up with you as nicely as possible so that you would forgive me when you found out the truth. Levana and Sybil had to be convinced that I went through with our deal."

"And you trust them to keep their side of the bargain?! And all this time, this whole week, you didn't have the decency to let me know?"

"Everything kept getting in the way! First your stupid car, then Winter and Jacin, then the fact that you told me that it was better if we weren't together. You told me not to contact you. Why should I go running after a girl who doesn't want anything to do with me?"

"Because my family _knows_!"

Thorne looked away. "Figures that's the only thing you'd care about after everything I said."

"My family could think that I hire prostitutes by now. Or worse! They could know that I—Jacin—of _course_ I care about that!" Cress tried to get off his lap but couldn't get a good grip against the wall. She put her hands on his shoulders for purchase, slipped anyway, and fell back on top of him, her knees landing around his hips.

For a moment, they both just breathed.

Then Thorne grabbed her by the waist and tried to lift her off of him, resulting in the back of her dress landing dangerously close to the dirty bathroom floor he was sitting on. She squeaked and, somehow, they managed to stand up together without her dress getting ruined.

"I don't think they know," Thorne said, letting go of her and dragging a hand across his mouth. "If Winter and Jacin were mad when they saw me with Émilie, then they don't know yet."

She considered this. "Maybe you're right. Maybe that means they don't know about my feelings for Jacin either. I mean, my former feelings."

"We wouldn't want that," Thorne said, sounding almost sarcastic now. He shook his head. "But one thing at a time. You have another problem on your hands. Winter and Jacin think I'm cheating on you, don't they?"

She nodded, remembering.

"I would never do that," he said softly, coming to stand in front of her again. "If we were together, I mean. You know that, right? Despite my job, despite everything?"

 _If we were together._ The thought made desire pool in her stomach as she looked him over, thinking about how much she'd thought about the possibility of the two of them together over the last week. "No," she said, sighing, "you're too amazing to cheat."

Thorne raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you've only had a few drinks?"

"I'm sorry I ruined your chances with Émilie. Your chance to get laid."

His brows drew together. "You're totally wasted, aren't you? I knew it."

"I am not. I just had a few drinks to loosen up."

"I thought you didn't drink, Cress."

"Who cares? I put up with you and your drunk stint at my family's cabin last weekend. You mixed drugs with alcohol and you're going to judge me?"

"That was because of my splint, sweetheart." He held up his injured fingers as if she hadn't noticed it already.

"And tonight?"

"I had a few drinks too," he admitted.

"Can we focus on the problem right now? My sister and her fiancée are out there and think that you're cheating on me. What should we do? Should I let them think that? Maybe it's the perfect way to end this charade."

"Charade? Oh, right." Thorne's lips pressed together. "We wouldn't want them to keep thinking we're actually together."

"Right," said Cress, trying to think if this was the best solution. She kept going back to thoughts about Levana and Sybil and the information they would probably hold over her for the rest of her life.

Thorne's eyes looked sad. "If that's what you want."

"Of course I want that, Thorne! I can't do this anymore! All this lying! This isn't me. At least, it's not who I want to be."

"It's not a problem," said Thorne, his voice clipped. "Leave it to me. I'll make sure they know this is all my fault when we go back out there. I'll make sure to make you look good. But then I'm putting you in a cab. You've had too much to drink to be out here by yourself. Guys are gonna take advantage of you."

He moved to unlock the door.

Cress grabbed his hand and stopped him. "Wait. How much will this cost me?"

"Don't worry about it," he said coolly and opened the door. "You overpaid me in the check you sent me. I owed you fifty dollars for the hot tub, remember?"

But Cress couldn't respond. All she could do was stare in horror at the sight of Jacin standing outside the door. Thorne, who was still looking at Cress over his shoulder, turned and did a double take when he saw Jacin there.

"Jacin!" Cress said quickly, trying to smile. Finding that her lips were trembling yet again, along with her body, she dropped the act. Her hands dropped too and she looked at her painted toenails. "Did you hear everything?"

"I heard enough," he said, crossing his arms with a glare at Thorne.

Behind him, Cress caught sight of Winter standing in the little corridor between them and the stage.

"Oh," said Cress, her voice growing dry and choked as she tried to hold back tears. "That's perfect. Well, then—as you know, Thorne and I aren't, well, it was sort of—we never—"

Thorne punched Jacin in the face. As he stumbled back and Cress gasped, Thorne said, "That's for making Cress feel bad about herself. For making her doubt her worth."

Jacin, who was massaging his jaw, looked like he might deck Thorne, but Thorne was already walking down the corridor. As he passed Winter, he said, "I always thought Cress was more attractive than you."

He disappeared back into the party, leaving Cress standing there with her mouth open. Winter rushed to Jacin to see if he was okay, giving him a hug and inspecting his face. Cress noticed that her own cheeks were wet, and she lifted a hand to her face to wipe away her own tears.

So they knew.

It was over.

Her secret was out.

"Cress?" said Winter, looking up from Jacin's face. "That was—"

"Excuse me," she said, taking off down the corridor.

She couldn't exactly run, not when she was still dizzy and the world felt like it was collapsing in around her. The volume of the music grew the closer she got to the center of the party, and the quiet of the bathroom seemed like heaven compared to this pounding bass music. She took off her shoes, afraid she would sprain her ankle and held a heel in each hand.

The DJ had turned off the lights and the models were back on stage. Strobe lights made everything and everyone dancing flash in double as she tried to reach the exit. Some of them wore 2017 hats and held noisemakers. She was so short in a sea of tall, beautiful people and this warehouse was too big.

Her head throbbed with each new beat. The tears came freely now, especially whenever someone bumped into her or stepped on her bare feet.

When she made it to the coat check, she pulled out her cell phone from her bra along with the little stub to collect her items. The concierge stared at her like she was crazy but she didn't care. She just wanted to get out of there and forget this night had ever happened.

Forget this week had ever happened.

No matter how many times she dialed a cab, the line was always busy.

She slipped her shoes back on and, more carefully this time, went outside anyway. The crisp, Minnesotan night hit her like a bucket of ice water. She shivered and searched around for a cab that could be passing, but they were all occupied.

"Cress."

She whirled to see Thorne standing there in an expensive, fancy winter coat, much different than the one he had worn to her house. He had a scarf and hat on too, and it only took him a second before he was handing both of them to her. She shook her head furiously, teeth chattering, but he wrapped the scarf around her neck and then pulled her in for a hug.

She knew she should resist, but feeling his body against hers was so familiar, so comforting, so warm. She had convinced herself this week that she would never see him again and this was perhaps another way the fates were punishing her for lying to her family. But he was hugging her anyway.

"They know," she cried, "they know."

"I know," he said, rubbing her back, "I know."

When she had calmed down a little, he said, "I ordered a cab. You can share it with me."

She sniffed. "How did you get one? The line is always busy."

"Ah. I tend to be lucky with those sorts of things."

"I'm not."

She thought he chuckled. "Believe me, I know."

The cab came within a few minutes and soon Cress was warm inside, giving Thorne back his scarf and hat. He laid them on his lap and took off his coat. She was surprised that he had memorized her address when he gave it to the driver, despite the fact that he had never even been there.

"Could be a while," he commented. "It's nearly midnight and you live near the center of Minneapolis." He pointed at a big clock on a nearby building, then at the traffic around them.

It was six minutes to midnight.

Cress took off her coat too and leaned against the window pane.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"Don't worry. I know how hard it is to find a cab on New Year's."

She lifted her head to look at him. "I don't just mean that."

He glanced at her.

"I don't approve of you hitting Jacin, but I appreciate you sticking up for me. I know this will probably sound pathetic, but sometimes I think that you're the only person who's ever stuck up for me. You even stick up for me when I don't stick up for myself."

"Cress…"

"You're beautiful, you know that?"

The corner of his mouth twitced. "Isn't that supposed to be my line?"

"Let's pretend for a minute. Let's pretend that we're in a different world. I didn't hire you but I met you at my friend's engagement party. I was dancing on a table with my friends to _Bye, Bye, Bye_ because that's their song." Her voice choked up again. "You noticed me and after I was done dancing, you approached me because you thought I was the…the perfect combination of sexy and adorable."

"Cress…"

"No," she said, letting out a deep breath and wiping her nose, "let me finish. If you had approached me and I had been standoffish—like the girls told me you said the morning you went hunting—if that was how I came off, it wouldn't have been because I wasn't interested."

She wiped away another tear but didn't look away from him. "As you probably know by now, I'm not very good with people, especially strangers. Someone who looks like you, someone so…so attractive, coming to talk to me? I would've been attracted to you instantly. And if you had talked to me and I had gotten to know something about you, I'm sure I would've fallen for you right then and there.

"But I would've been nervous, Thorne. If I went back to talking to my friends it was only because I didn't want to make a fool out of myself in front of you."

"Cress, that was just a story I made up. Something to entertain your family with."

"I know." She sniffed again. "But I just wanted you to know. I think you are the type of guy who would've had me at 'hello.' Just like in the movies. And when I think about everything that might've been in that hypothetical situation, it—it kind of kills me, you know?"

She scooted over in the back of the cab to the middle seat and put her hand gently on his thigh. Thorne was watching her intently, his blue eyes searching hers. His hands remained fisted at his sides.

"Everything about it kills me because in a different universe maybe this could have been perfect, you know? Maybe if I were brave enough to dance on tables and you were working on your PhD at UM or we had met at a different time…maybe we'd be a couple right now."

Thorne's hand moved on top of hers, giving her hand a squeeze.

That was all the encouragement she needed. Cress turned to her side and kissed him. For a split second, she was worried that he would reject her. That he would push her away and tell her she was far too emotional and that they lived in this world, here right now. But Thorne let out a deep groan against her lips, a sound that matched the longing she had inside, and dug his fingers into her hair.

It was almost too much, the passion and pain that she felt for Thorne in that moment, all bundled up inside of her and attempting to burst out with each movement of her tongue with his.

She had to catch her breath as she pulled away. More tears spilled over.

"Don't cry," he said, thumbing away a tear and then another. "Please don't cry."

On the radio in the cab, _Auld Lang Syne_ began to play. Thorne gave her a gentle smile. "Must be midnight. Happy New Year's, Cress."

"No, it's not happy," she said, shaking her head. "Everything is ruined. The only happy thing is that you're here, even if it's just this moment."

"No, Cress…" He brushed his lips against hers again. "It doesn't have to be like that."

Cress breathed in deeply and let her shoulders fall, feeling how shaky she still was.

 _Stars_ , Thorne was beautiful.

"Make me forget, Thorne," she pleaded, pulling gently at his tie to bring him back to her lips. She kissed him once, twice. "Make me forget everything."

Feeling a surge of boldness that she attributed to alcohol or the fact that this really was the last time she would see him, or maybe both, she moved on top of him, kicking away the scarf and hat on his lap.

Thorne's eyes bulged before they fluttered shut as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him again. His hands found her waist, holding tightly to her body like he never intended to let her go. He pulled away, but only to kiss away her tears, then found her mouth again.

Soon all she could think about was him and the way her insides were exploding with desire. It was the best feeling in the world, being close to him again. His kisses were a drug, a medication that numbed her to everything else she felt. It was only him and her and them—together.

The cab driver cleared his throat loudly. "We're here."

Cress blushed and climbed off Thorne, unable to stop smiling.

Thorne reached into his pocket and handed the cab driver his credit card. "You can add fifty bucks on there if you give me a few minutes with her." He nodded at Cress's apartment building.

"Five minutes," the cabbie said.

Cress put on her coat again as Thorne paid. When he had gotten his credit card back in his wallet and put on his coat, Cress pulled him to her side of the cab to kiss him again. Thorne indulged her for only a few moments before he pulled away, breathless.

"Cress, this guy only gave me five minutes. We have to get out of the cab."

He pushed open her door, waited for her to get out, then climbed out himself. He took her hand and made sure she didn't fall on the icy pathway that led to her apartment building, though he almost fell twice himself. Around them, they could hear people celebrating the New Year from inside the different apartments. Cress dug in her purse for her keys, then pulled Thorne into the warm entryway.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Alright. You made it."

"I did."

"You're safe at home."

She beamed. "Thanks to you."

He pretended to tip a hat to her. "My pleasure, ma'am."

Cress let out a small laugh.

He smiled, his dimple showing up again.

She bit her lip.

"I should go then. I don't live that close to here. But you knew that already." He rocked on his heels. "I'm really happy to see you again, Cress."

"Don't you want to stay?" she said, jerking her head at the elevator.

Thorne looked flustered for a moment but quickly composed himself. "Oh _._ I—I don't know. Is that a good idea?"

"Sounds like the best idea to me."

"I mean, are you sure that's what you want?"

"Yes," she said, pushing on her toes to give him an assuring kiss. "It is."

Outside, the cab honked. Thorne drew back and swallowed hard, looking extremely torn.

"This way we both get what we wanted for tonight," she said.

Thorne sighed. "What Anthony said, that's not what I—…Well, it was, _but_ —" He drew his finger along her lower lip. "I was trying to forget you."

"Now you don't have to," she said, kissing him again, harder this time.

It only took a moment before he reciprocated, pressing them against the mailboxes inside the entryway with such force she thought he might lift her off the ground.

"Okay," he mumbled between kisses. "I'll stay if you want me to."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anthony and Chien are from Carswell's Guide to Being Lucky. Haven't had the chance to use them in a story yet. Didn't think Thorne would go out with Jules or Ryan, even if he was desperate! ;)
> 
> "His kisses were a drug, a medication that numbed her to everything else she felt." This line is based on Marissa Meyer's line in Winter: "Her body became liquid, and she thought, if they could bottle him, he would make the best pain medication." I feel what I wrote is a bit too close to hers to be original, but for the sake of parallels I included it and I wanted to point out that it's her line, not mine.


	31. Chapter 31

The sound of cars driving by and the occasional beep of a horn woke Thorne. It was a rude awakening — Thorne's house was in the suburbs and quiet, especially on the morning of a holiday. There shouldn't have been any cars at all.

There was also the matter of light. Rays of sunlight hit his face annoyingly from every angle, making him want to flip over and bury his face into his pillow. He had blackout blinds for this sort of thing. Mornings were meant for sleeping in.

But he was not in his bed, nor in his house, and he was sharing a pillow so shifting in any way at all would mean waking up the soft, sleeping shape that was partly on top of him. Reluctantly, he opened one eyelid a sliver and peered down at Cress.

A feeling of warmth spread through him at the confirmation that she was really there and he hadn't just dreamt her presence. Her hair was all over the place, but not in his face like it had been last weekend, so the only thing it did was make him crack a smile. Her cheek was between his chest and armpit, and she had one arm draped across him and the other hidden underneath the pillow.

The thick duvet covered them from her neck down, but he could feel the rest of her body sprawled out over half of his body. In fact, her bent knee was dangerously close to his crotch, which was another reason not to make any sudden moves.

He was shirtless; Cress was wearing a soft, cottony thing that he could feel against the small of her back where his hand rested.

Both his hands throbbed. The splinted one from overuse the night before, very likely, and the other from punching Jacin.

A contented smile came to his face as the night before replayed itself in his mind. Letting go of her back and very, very carefully moving the arm that was close to where her head was, Thorne stretched his arms over his head. He hit the headboard and stretched sideways instead, yawning the whole time.

Cress only had a full and Thorne had forgotten how small these beds were for two people when he slept on a king size at home. Even the bed they had shared at Cress's aunts' cabin had been at least a queen. A full-size bed was no good for long-term sleeping arrangements when one actually wanted to sleep without being suffocated by their partner. But for the early stages of never getting enough of each other and constant cuddling to fall asleep?

It was perfect.

At least, he assumed it was perfect. He had never made it to that point in a relationship before—to the point where he wanted to fall asleep with the same person every day, let alone wake up with her.

Thorne wanted to curl up with Cress and go back to sleep again, but he wanted something else even more. Lowering both of his hands to her waist, he encased her in a firm hug and rolled. Now Cress was lying underneath him, exactly how he wanted her. He lowered his face to her neck, careful to shift his weight so as not to crush her.

She stirred and as she did, Thorne placed feather-light kisses against her collarbone, pushing aside the strap on her tank top to get better access. "Morning, beautiful," he murmured.

"Unghhh," came her groggy reply, followed by a breathy, " _mmmm_."

"It's the new year," he whispered, shifting onto his forearms to get a better look at her but couldn't resist kissing her mouth immediately. Her hands trailed up his back to his hair, like she remembered him telling her last night how much he liked that feeling.

It was the best possible way to wake up.

He pulled away and leaned on one elbow, unable to stop smiling.

Cress looked slightly dazed and disoriented as her eyes focused on him. "H-hi," she breathed.

"How much does your head hurt?" he asked, unable to keep the teasing tone out of his voice. He smoothed her hair out of her face as he spoke. It was thick with product and a few loose bobby pins from her updo.

From what he'd gathered, Cress had had at least four drinks at the club, which was more than she usually drank already. When they'd gotten to her apartment, Cress had revealed a small stash of liquor that her college roommates had given her when she'd turned twenty-one. She had kept it the past year, even after she graduated, and apparently had gifted one or two bottles on the rare occasion.

"Now I can finally use these stupid bottles up," she'd said, giggling.

Thorne didn't feel hung over himself, though he did have a small headache from being completely exhausted due to insufficient sleep and a rollercoaster turn of events the night before. He'd had a few drinks before running into Cress at the party, of course, but he wasn't a lightweight like her and was a bit more used to holding his liquor.

Once he'd taken Cress home, he hadn't needed more alcohol to get into celebrating the New Year with his formerly fake girlfriend. She wasn't like the girls he'd been chasing after at the party. He _wanted_ to be sober around her.

He'd had another shot with her here in the apartment, toasting to the two of them ending up together. Cress, on the other hand, had wanted to drink as much as a girl who had stumbled upon an oasis after trekking through an arid desert.

He'd cut her off, not wanting her to get sick. Then he had made a game out of feeding each other ice cream creatively once he'd found out she'd barely eaten anything at all that night. It had been more than challenging. All Cress had wanted to do the entire night was skip to the main course: him.

"A lot," Cress said, wincing. "My head is throbbing." She let go of his hair and rubbed her forehead.

"I bet." He pressed his lips against her temple gently. "Luckily for you, I have the perfect cure for a hangover. It involves the greasiest food you can imagine and a little bit of beer."

Cress groaned and he rolled to his side, taking his weight off her. He stayed propped up on his elbow, though, so he could look at her. Cress rubbed her eyes and yawned, then rolled to face him.

"Hey," he said.

Cress blinked and seemed to study him, still waking up. "What time is it?"

"I don't know. My phone is somewhere in this apartment along with my shirt, watch, and belt."

Her eyes dropped to his chest. " _Oh_. You're not wearing a shirt."

"You didn't want me to."

"Hmm," she murmured, her eyes snagging on the duvet on top of them then moving back to his chest area, which was uncovered. Her eyes widened. " _Oh_. _Oh stars_! Thorne! Is that a—?" Her hand flew to her mouth. Red coloring darkened her neck and cheeks.

Thorne looked down at his chest, going so far as to lift the duvet to check for what was wrong. "What? What is it?"

Cress was so red he thought she might burst from embarrassment. She spoke into her hand, the words coming out muffled. "You have a…a _hickey_. I think. Or a…a bruise? Could it be a bruise instead? At the bottom of your neck." She pointed.

Thorne started laughing. Cress had given him a hickey? No matter how much he looked, he couldn't see it, but he wasn't about to get out of bed to look for a mirror. Since he remembered everything from the night before, he could think of a few instances when she might have given it to him. Another rush of warmth filled his entire body.

When he realized that Cress still wasn't laughing, though, he bit down on his cheek. "It's okay. No one is going to see it but you and me."

"Does it hurt?"

It was times like this when Thorne was reminded that she had never made out with anyone besides him. Everything they did together physically was new for her. "No, not at all." He grinned wickedly. "Should I search you and see if you've got one too?"

He was usually pretty careful about that sort of thing, unless he wanted to get carried away. The last time he'd given someone a hickey he'd been maybe eighteen. But he'd kissed Cress yesterday until his lips were nearly raw, so it could've happened. More so, he just wanted to put Cress at ease that it was totally fine.

Cress, however, drew the duvet up to her chin. "N-n-no," she stuttered. "Don't search me."

Thorne scooted closer to her, if that was possible, and put his arm around her waist underneath the covers. "I was just kidding. And don't worry about my hickey. It'll remind me of the amazing time we had together last night every time I take off my shirt." He chuckled. "Or maybe every time I take off my turtleneck, if it's actually as high up as you're suggesting. Not that I would wear a turtleneck voluntarily. I hate those, remember?"

His smile fell when he noticed that she was trembling. "What's wrong? Are you cold?" He rubbed her waist to warm her.

She shook her head.

"Are you going to be sick? Do you want me to get you to the bathroom? That sometimes happens when you're hung over."

"Thorne?" she whispered, still trembling. A new blush formed at the base of her neck. "We didn't…um…you know…did we?" Her eyes closed and Thorne tried to hide his blow of disappointment.

"Ah. You don't remember."

Her eyes were still squeezed shut. "I remember some things. I don't _think_ we did but"—she squinted over at him and gestured at his chest, at the bed, at the two of them—"all signs point to yes."

Thorne sighed and rolled onto his back, resting his head on arms as Cress had the majority of the pillow. He moved his splinted hand, uncomfortable until he had rearranged himself so his head wasn't touching his splint. He had somewhat expected this, but he had been secretly hoping that she would wake up as happy as he was, not having forgotten anything.

"No, we didn't."

Cress's huge breath of relief almost made him cringe.

They were both silent for a moment.

"Are you sure?" she said. "I remember…wanting you." She closed her eyes, but more like she was savoring a delicious treat. "Wanting you so much. And…and there are other things I remember us doing… _you_ doing."

She peered over at him again, uncertain.

"Let me guess, which you now regret?"

"No!" Thorne closed his own eyes in relief as Cress rolled to her side and faced him again. She smiled bashfully, her cheeks going red again. "I loved it. You were— _are_ …amazing. Did you know that?"

His grin returned. He grabbed Cress and pulled her on his lap as he sat up. "I know you think I'm beautiful." He chuckled and gave her a kiss.

She returned it, but pulled away quickly. "But if I remember wanting it…and you wanted it…why didn't we…?"

Thorne sighed again as he brushed her messy hair away from her face once more. "It wasn't like you were easy to resist." _Aces_ , if only she knew how hard she'd been to resist, the little vixen. "But you were drunk even if you didn't want to admit it. You were also really emotional the whole night. I know you _said_ you wanted me, but last week you said you weren't even close to being ready. It would've been your first time. What if you regretted it when you were sober again? I didn't want either of us to have regrets today."

Cress flung her arms around him and hugged him so tightly he nearly forgot what they were talking about. He buried his face in her shoulder and inhaled the amazing scent of her hair, which even with product and sleep still smelled like the shampoo he'd loved at the cabin.

When she pulled away to look at him again, the smallest hint of a tear had formed in the corner of her eye. She was smiling, though. He wiped the tear away with his thumb as he had in the cab. "See? I couldn't stand it if I were the reason for your tears. Like Jacin was."

He mentally kicked himself for bringing up Jacin when he was the last person on the planet Thorne wanted to discuss right now, but Cress just nodded fervently, a fresh tear appearing.

"Thank you," she said. "You're more amazing than I even thought."

Her words made his spirits soar. He kissed her again, more fervently this time.

She sighed against his lips.

Thorne swallowed, remembering what he had wanted to tell her last night so many times, but had been afraid she'd forget the next morning. She was still emotional now, but it seemed like an okay time to tell her. It was yearning to burst out of him again, anyway.

"Cress," he whispered, unable to contain his smile again, "I think I'm in love with you."

His heart pounded against his rib cage as he waited for Cress to react to his words. It was the first time he had ever said those words and meant them. He had purposely said them differently from the normal three little words he always uttered at all of his fake girlfriends.

 _I love you_ , he always said, especially in front of friends and family.

He didn't want the first time he meant it for real to sound like every other time he'd said it. Plus, he was still figuring out this whole love thing and saying _I think_ sounded more genuine than _I know_. He did think he was in love with her. He hoped she believed him.

He waited…and waited.

Cress's blue eyes had widened into saucers, her mouth forming a little _O_.

"I..." Suddenly, she climbed off his lap. She stumbled as one foot hit the ground and the other got stuck in the duvet. Thorne grabbed her arm to steady her and she smiled gratefully.

"Thanks," she said, rubbing her forehead again. "I really did drink too much, huh? You said there was a cure for a hangover? Can I take some Advil too?"

Thorne tried to act normal. He almost felt like he was channeling a bit of his fake persona when he said, "Of course. You should drink a lot of water too."

"Thanks." She pulled at the bottom of her tank top until it reached her pajama bottoms, covering up the blissful bit of skin that had been showing. She jerked her thumb in the direction of the bathroom. "I'm going to put on a sweatshirt. Oh! And I'm not ignoring you. What you said, I mean. I just need to get my bearings and we'll talk, okay?"

She smiled then, still shyly, and Thorne relaxed a little. Maybe it had been stupid to say something deep when she was still waking up. He was grumpy when he didn't get enough sleep. In fact, without coffee, he could barely function at all if he was tired.

"Sure," he said, getting out of the bed himself. "You go pop an Advil and change and I'll go make us some coffee. You do have a coffee machine, right? I doubt any stores are open on New Year's Day."

She pointed behind him. "It's on the kitchen counter. Which doubles as the kitchen table." Her cheeks turned red again. "It's a small studio apartment, I know. Your house is really big in comparison."

"I don't care if you have a small apartment."

"I'll just be in the bathroom, then."

Cress bent down by his feet, and he was confused for a second until she pulled open a drawer under her bed. He moved to the kitchen area, feeling like he was in the way as she rummaged for some clothes. When she shut the door to the bathroom, Thorne took a seat at the counter.

Well.

That had not gone as planned.

Not at all.

He reconsidered as he forced himself to get up again to start making coffee. It wasn't like he'd actually planned to tell her that he thought he loved her. He had just felt it over and over and over again with each kiss, each touch. He had waited until he wasn't saying it in the heat of the moment, though he hadn't been shy about telling her how much he adored everything about her last night.

So, they would talk.

It wasn't how he'd hoped his confession would go, but maybe Cress wasn't there yet. He could work with that. If someone had asked him before yesterday, he wouldn't have been there yet himself.

As he turned on the machine, he shook his head. Aces, they hadn't even known each other more than a week. Clearly, he'd scared her.

 _It's okay_ , he told himself as he grabbed his belt off the floor and began to slide it through his belt loops. _You were honest with Cress. That's what you both promised each other. No more secrets_.

He found his shirt, which had been discarded on the small couch by her TV. His phone was on the makeshift coffee table in front of it, luckily, along with his watch. He realized he'd had a tie last night too and searched around, finding it wedged between the pillows of her couch. He stuffed it in his pocket.

He checked his missed texts—just two, both of which he immediately deleted.

Luisa telling him he had ruined her chances with her ex by not being there for her.

Anthony telling him he was a specific part of the female anatomy.

He pocketed his phone and slid his arms into his crumpled shirt from last night. He stopped when he saw a small, familiar box on the windowsill. It looked like it had been discarded there when something else had interrupted whatever Cress had been thinking about at the time she'd held it in her hands.

The diamond earrings. The ones he'd given her as a fake gift for Christmas. He had totally forgotten about them. But as he opened the box, seeing the flattering studs he'd picked out himself for the occasion, he was so glad that she had kept them.

It almost made him feel a little better about the check she had sent him. He never wanted to see a check from her again, not when he could see Cress instead. And now she would have beautiful earrings as well.

The memory of receiving the check back in the mail still stung, he realized. Having been with her last night, though, he knew that she had now sent him the check out of sadness — perhaps as a need for closure. She hadn't dropped all thoughts of him the second that check had been dropped in the mail. She had been hurt too.

He closed the box and put it back on the windowsill. Luck had really been on his side last night. He could've really screwed everything up irreparably last night, not knowing that Cress still cared for him.

Thorne thanked the stars that he hadn't wasted his time with some other girl he didn't care about. That the girl he had really wanted to be with had been at the same party. That fate or luck or some other force had given him a second chance after what he'd been forced to say to Cress at the cabin against his will.

"I have thirty-one missed messages and calls from Winter. _Thirty-one_."

Thorne looked up at Cress who was now donning a hoodie and a pair of yoga pants — the ones he had seen her wear at the cabin. His eyes trailed down her legs. Was he ever going to get enough of looking at her, now that he'd realized just how attractive he found her?

But he bit back the urge to run at her, much like she had run at him last night. He swallowed back all the desire he felt for her in this moment.

He had known the topic of Winter and Jacin would come up. It always did.

He strode to the coffee pot instead, which was now full, and took it out of the machine. As he sorted through her cabinets to find mugs, he said, "Come have some coffee. We can brainstorm."

He poured her a cup and slid it in front of one of the chairs at the counter. Cress took it and moved to a different chair. "I usually sit here."

"Fine with me." He took the seat she had rejected and drank his own coffee as Cress scrolled through her phone. He reached out and put a hand on her knee to try to reassure her. He knew she would need it now most of all.

"Jacin knows. Winter knows." She looked up at the ceiling like she wanted it to swallow her whole. "They don't understand everything, but it's enough to ruin everything. They want to know why I paid you to take me out. If you're some sort of…you know."

Thorne shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "They asked you? Explicitly?"

She held the phone out for him to read. "No, not explicitly. I think they're trying to be _somewhat_ sensitive about it but Winter is really upset that you punched Jacin."

Thorne flexed the hand he'd used to punch him. "I'm not." He sighed. "Though I feel like I broke my hand on his face."

He thought Cress might crack a smile or even look at him the same way she had looked at him last night, even for a moment. She knew why he had punched Jacin. She got it.

"Hmm," she muttered, biting her lip and concentrating even harder on her phone.

Thorne put down his coffee mug. "Cress, there will be a time for damage control but that time is not now via text. Right now everything is really fresh and everyone involved is a little shaken up, but it'll blow over. If I were you, I wouldn't respond. Just relax and try not to think about it right now."

"That's easy for you to say."

"It's not, though. I have to face them too."

That got Cress's attention. She looked up from her phone like she had forgotten that he was there. He smiled and gave her leg a squeeze.

"Thorne…"

"Cress?"

"This is a really big deal. Winter and Jacin know that you're not really my boyfriend. My aunts have footage of us together, talking about how you're not really my boyfriend. Everyone is going to know. _Everyone_."

Cress had that panicked expression on her face now, the one that he'd seen many times at the cabin. The one that had made him pull her into the bathroom on the very first night and ask her what was wrong. She had worried that he would fall in love with Winter. That he wasn't good enough at his job to keep his hands to himself.

That he had been able to handle. He was well-rehearsed in how to reassure his clients that he was good at his job. But this scenario was different. It was real. He was at the heart of it, even if it wasn't his fault entirely that Cress had lied to her family.

He wasn't sure that he could convince her that everything would be fine, even though he knew it would be.

If there was anything he had learned about family, it was how to tell which ones actually cared about each other. Coming from a family who didn't care about each other at all made that easy. Cress's family did care about each other, even if perhaps they were terrible at making Cress realize it.

Of course, there were the evil aunts to deal with, but he doubted they were the ones that she was really concerned about.

"Cress, I know it's embarrassing. This isn't how we wanted the situation to pan out. And it might be a little awkward around some of your family members for a while, but someday we're all going to laugh about this. It'll be one of those stories that people tell at weddings."

He withdrew his hand from her thigh and quickly grabbed his mug, afraid she might read into the meaning of his words too much if he lingered. Hell, he was reading into his words too much. He hadn't meant _their_ wedding. Stars no.

Though, now that he was thinking about it, it would make for the most entertaining ' _this is how we met_ ' story ever.

It was better than anything he had ever come up with, and he had come up with a lot of entertaining ' _this is how we met'_ stories.

He could see it now: _"So then she threw a snowball and broke my fingers. And we spent Christmas in the hospital. But that's when I think I started noticing her."_

He grinned into his mug while at the same time feeling exceptionally sappy and ridiculous. He wasn't thinking about _marrying_ Cress. She was _twenty-two_. It was just a funny scenario to imagine in the future.

His internal humor died down a little when he imagined Cress's dad in that scenario, though.

"No, it won't be," said Cress. "It's going to be more than a _little awkward_. It's going to be mortifying. If my aunts know that I hired you because I had a crush on Jacin, then Jacin and Winter will find out. It's one thing if they know that you're not my real boyfriend. That's mortifying enough. But when they find out what I feel—what I _felt_ all this time? It's going to ruin my relationship with them."

Thorne swiveled to face her. Very gently, he said, "Don't you think your relationship with them is already on the rocks? And screw your aunts. Why would Winter and Jacin believe anything the two of them have to say?"

"They have video footage!"

"That footage is messed up. There's no way two normal people are going to sit around and watch us making out."

Sadly, he knew it wasn't that easy. If he believed everything he said himself then he probably would've never fake broken up with Cress in the first place. But Cress didn't need more doubts. She needed confidence.

"Still." Cress finally put her phone down and let her face drop onto the countertop. "I have to tell them everything myself first. Before my aunts tell them. Before Winter and Jacin tell my family."

"No, no, no." Thorne got up and stood behind her, rubbing her back. "Do _not_ tell them everything. This is one of those situations where some white lies are much better. We can tell them the partial truth, but leave out the information about Jacin. Especially about Jacin." He considered. "I can come up with a different reason why you would've paid me to take you on a date. And hey—we actually have the upper hand because they now think this was all just a business transaction. They don't realize we've really fallen for each other, Cress. We'll face this together. You're not alone in your secrets anymore."

He heard Cress suck in a breath and he hoped she believed him. He continued rubbing her shoulders and then finally sat when she didn't say anything. Realizing his shirt was still completely unbuttoned, he went to work on closing it up.

Cress lifted her head, smiling sadly. "You're so sweet, Thorne. I still can't believe you want to do this together. To..." Her voice lowered to a near whisper. "To be with _me_ together."

He grinned. "I could get used to you complimenting me. But of course I do."

Her smile faltered. "Thorne, there's something I need to tell you."

His hands fumbled against the button he was working on. For a moment, he thought this might be when she told him she thought she loved him too. His heart skipped a beat, but her expression made a knot form in his stomach. Nervous or not, this was not how someone looked before they said those important words.

"What is it?" His voice sounded dry so he grabbed more coffee.

"I got a job. For my degree."

His eyes widened. "You did? That's great! Why—why do you look like you're going to cry then?"

"I'm really glad that we ran into each other yesterday. I mean, I'm not _really_ glad because of…well, you know." She gestured at her phone. "But I'm so happy that you and I—that we got to see each other again. Everything ended on such a bad note this weekend and I'm so glad that we had a chance to talk and—and really be together again last night."

Thorne began to work on the second to last button really slowly.

"I'm moving to New York."

His hands froze.

"The job is in New York. It's a stage production company that often works on Broadway. I applied a long time ago and never heard anything but they called me. I accepted the job yesterday."

"This is a permanent job?"

"Yes." She folded her hands in her lap and twiddled her thumbs. "I'm leaving in a week."

Thorne let go of his shirt and got to his feet. Cress was leaving Minnesota? In a _week_? And moving…across the country? And she knew this already yesterday? He tried to think of something intelligent to say. He curled a fist behind his back, trying to relieve some of the tension that was bundling up inside of him.

His voice was low when he managed to find some words. "Does your family know?"

She shook her head. "I'll probably tell them whenever I talk to them about you. About everything."

"And then you run away."

Cress couldn't meet his eyes. She stared intently at her lap. "I'm not running away. It's a chance to start over and not be in someone else's shadow. I need to get away. I'm not happy here. I realized that this week. _You_ helped me realize that."

"So—so—" he sputtered. Took a breath. Tried to regain his composure. "So last night? You weren't happy then either? Being with me?"

"I—"

"Why even invite me up?"

Her eyes finally snapped up to meet his. Her eyes were wide. Thorne was squeezing the fist behind his back so tightly, forcing his expression to stay neutral.

"No, I told you," she said, "you were amazing. I _loved_ , um, loved being with you."

"So that was like, your version of a one night stand?"

"No!" She got to her feet and reached for him.

He took a step back.

"I knew it was probably going to be the last time I saw you," she said. "But in the cab I just got to thinking that we were both into each other, you know? We were both there. Like fate wanted both of us to go to the same party to see each other one last time. I—I told you how wonderful it would have been if we had really met in that other scenario."

"We met in _this_ scenario, Cress."

"I know." She took a hesitant step toward him. "And look around. Everything about this scenario got messed up. Even you and me. We were both looking for different things last night. This wasn't supposed to be our ending. But we saw each other again. I didn't want to waste that opportunity. I wanted us to end on a happy note. Because I…before I left."

Thorne dragged his free hand down his face. "A happy note, huh?"

He could see guilt in her expression. "Maybe without the alcohol I would've made a different choice. Thought things through."

"So I guess this means you're not going to take up my offer to face your family together, then, right? When I walk out that door it's over? I leave, you leave."

"No, _please_ , this isn't about it being over, Thorne," she said, her voice trembling.

"Then what is it about, Cress?"

"This is all coming out wrong." She rubbed her temple. "We were always going in different directions, weren't we? I hired you. To be my _escort._ If that doesn't tell you I need a new start…"

She trailed off. Thorne had initially been ready to talk about directions changing and bringing people together. But the look on her face as she said _escort_ made any desire to argue on their behalf leave him. He knew that look. He had seen it on her before.

It was disgust. Embarrassment.

Not that she shouldn't feel it, but it was too much to see how she really felt about him. He had been too hopeful. He knew who he was, what he did. How other people viewed him.

Maybe he had been stupid to wish that she would see him differently than his other clients did. Just like he had seen _her_ differently from his other clients.

Last night, he thought she had.

 _Aces_ , he had just told her that he loved her.

"You're right," he said, clearing his voice until it sounded official. Professional. "New York will be good for you. A new start indeed."

Cress didn't love him. She was still too good for him. She always would be.

"Thorne, I—"

"I should really be going. Forgot I have this other client that I need to work out some details with. I cancelled my date with her yesterday and she's mad. It's better to resolve client conflicts as soon as possible, you know, before you lose their business."

He feigned confidence and nonchalance as he strode to the coat rack, where he had at least managed to hang up his coat upon entering the apartment. He glanced over at his shoulder to see Cress still standing by the counter. He gave her a final once over as he shrugged on his coat.

There were tears on her cheeks again, but it was no longer his job to wipe them away.

She didn't want him for that job.

"I'm so sorry," she sobbed. "I wish I could explain better what I'm feeling inside. I feel a thousand things all at once when I look at you. You're _so_ —I want so badly to—"

"Nah, I got it. You've explained plenty. It's like you said last week. That was the last time we were ever supposed to kiss, right?"

"No, I—"

"We were drunk last night. It's no big deal."

He opened the door and steadied his breath. In his pleasant, 1-800-CAPTAIN telephone voice, he said, "And thank you for your consideration, but I did inform you I wasn't going to keep the money you paid me. I already ripped up the check. Use the money for something in New York. You'll need it." More quietly, he added, "Take care of yourself, sweetheart."

"Thorne, wait." Her voice hitched. " _Carswell_!"

But Thorne was already hurrying out the door, wasting no time in getting the aces out of there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .
> 
> *Cringes and hides* I'M SORRY. YOU ALL PROBABLY HATE ME BUT I DO HAVE A PLAN. (No, the fic isn't over). (I have a plan and it includes Cresswell). (It was Cress's fault this time, not his!). (Also I put hints about Cress's decision in the last two chapters so I tried to subtly warn you). (I'm hiding inside my parentheses). (I know the chapter probably didn't end as you had hoped but I hope you enjoyed the content anyway. It took a really long time to write and 'get it right.'). (In good news I have a small deleted scene for Cresswell's New Year's Eve night at her apartment which I may share as bonus material at the end of the fic). (Also I gave you six entire Word pages of adorable fluff and happy!Thorne so please also take that into consideration before killing me).


	32. Chapter 32

Cress swallowed hard as she sat in the parking lot. Her car rattled and shook, exerting itself to keep her warm against the frigid temperatures outside.

Twenty-three minutes.

That was how long she had been sitting there, trying to scrounge up the courage to enter Winter's apartment complex. It was also how late she was, considering she had agreed to meet her sister at 1:00 p.m.

Her phone vibrated. As it had the last several days, her body filled with nervous energy. No matter how much she knew that it wasn't him, something inside her was conditioned to think it would be Thorne. It never was, but there was disappointment this time too when she checked her phone.

Just her calendar, reminding her to pack.

It wasn't like she had contacted Thorne. There was no reason for him to be in touch.

Cress turned off the engine. In all the plays she had seen during college (and as a Theater major, she had seen quite her fair share) this was the part where the protagonist had their darkest moment. Only Cress didn't think she was the protagonist anymore in her own story. The protagonist usually didn't lie to her whole family, lead on a guy when she was drunk, and then ruin things with that guy too.

Cress had come to terms with the fact that she was the antagonist. And because of that, her consequences were waiting for her in her sister's apartment.

That didn't mean she had to like it.

As she grudgingly got out of the car, she reminded herself that no matter what happened today, she would be gone in two days. She had put off this meeting as long as possible for exactly that reason. The longer she waited, the less time she had to hang around and watch her family be disappointed in her.

Get in, get out.

For all she knew, Winter had already told her family everything that Jacin had heard. She had ignored her sister's messages, after all, and had only responded after coming home to a note on her door from Winter, asking her to return her calls.

Cress took a deep breath once she reached the end of the hallway.

Then she knocked.

It took a few moments before the door opened. But instead of Winter, it was Jacin. His cool slate eyes looked her over.

"Oh," she said, looking down at her feet. "I didn't know you would be here."

"Of course I'm here. We've been really worried, Cress."

Cress pushed past him without a word.

Winter lay on the couch, watching TV. "Hi Cress."

"Hi."

The two sisters regarded each other.

After a long, silent staring match that made Cress squirm, Jacin cleared his throat. "Maybe we should talk about what happened on New Year's Eve, Cress."

At his words, Cress turned to him with a long, hard look.

Then she noticed something. His blond hair was loose, hanging to his shoulders. It was always, always in a ponytail. It was unkempt and, upon noticing that, she realized his cheeks were slightly flushed. Her eyes flickered back to her sister.

Her position on the couch. Her sweater on the floor. Her lips as red as blood. The Boyz II Men song playing in the background on her phone. The TV playing an infomercial that neither of them would ever be interested in watching.

Oh _no_. Not only was Jacin here, but Cress was clearly interrupting them.

On another day, she might've expected it. But she was supposed to be having an important discussion with her sister right now. Winter was supposed to be wondering where Cress was — if she would even show up.

But no, she had just been making out with her fiancé.

Cress's presence was probably unwelcome.

 _Get in, get out_ , she reminded herself.

"Leave," she said to Jacin, finding her voice.

Jacin frowned.

"Cress!" Winter said. "Jacin is welcome here."

"If you want me to talk to you, Jacin goes." It was the most firm she had been with her sister for as long as she could remember. Her lip trembled, but Cress held her ground.

Jacin was the first to break the silence. "No, it's okay, Winter. I can go."

"Jacin…," said Winter, shaking her head like she didn't want him to leave.

"And you wonder why I won't talk to you," said Cress quietly.

Winter's eyes finally drew away from Jacin.

"You always choose him over me." Cress bit down on her lip to keep it from trembling even more. She had already said more than she had planned. The goal was to keep it simple: explain that she'd hired Thorne, absorb a lot of disappointed looks, and see if Winter had told her family.

_Get in, get out._

"I'm going to let you two talk," said Jacin, reaching for his coat.

"Will you call me later?" Winter asked.

"Of course he's going to call you," Cress snapped. "Have you ever even gone one day without speaking to each other?"

Jacin and Winter exchanged a look, but Jacin eventually left the apartment.

"Where is this coming from, Cress?" said Winter, getting to her feet. She folded her arms across her chest. "You're not mean like this."

Antagonists were mean, weren't they?

"Maybe I am," said Cress. "Maybe I just don't say what I think out loud."

Winter's eyes turned sad. "And what you think…is that you don't like Jacin? I'm _marrying_ him, Cress."

Winter was in her face now, making Cress feel small and trivial and insignificant. Winter didn't have to raise her voice and get angry to have a presence; she just did.

Everything inside Cress told her to run back out the door and never look back. She took a step back. "I-I don't want to fight."

"But you don't like Jacin all of a sudden."

"T-this isn't about Jacin."

But it was, and it wasn't. Cress trudged over to the couch and took a seat, leaving her coat on. Maybe that would indicate to Winter that she didn't want to talk for a long time. Then all of this would be over.

"If you don't like Jacin, you have to tell me," Winter insisted, coming to sit down on the couch too. To Cress's relief, she left the middle section of the couch vacant between them.

"It's — no —um, I like Jacin."

"I should hope so! What's _not_ to like about him? He's even got the rising sun in his eyes."

Cress tried to remember Jacin's eyes, and whether they'd had some fleck of gold in them. Maybe that was what Winter meant. But she had just seen his eyes, and they had just been blue-gray. Slate-colored, really. Boring and slate-colored and nothing like the vibrancy she saw in Thorne's eyes.

Her heart tripped at the thought of Thorne again.

She had made so many mistakes.

Who was looking in his eyes now? What client? What lover, even?

_"I think I'm in love with you."_

"Cress!" Winter said, snapping her fingers in front of Cress's face.

Drawing her back to reality.

"You're my bridesmaid, Cress. My sister. We can't have secrets between us. But all you've done for the last few months is disappear from our lives. And now it turns out that you have a problem with Jacin? And what about Carswell? Why did you need to pay him for your date? Why are you avoiding me? Why haven't you answered our calls? I don't know you at all anymore."

There were too many questions. They were valid, she supposed, but it was too overwhelming to address all of them at once. And she hated the way her sister could ask these questions in the same whimsical way she asked for a piece of toast or said hello to someone.

"I don't have a problem with Jacin," she lied, thinking of Thorne. Some white lies were okay, he'd said. And the more she had thought about it, the more she agreed with him. The only problem was her aunts. If they knew that she'd had a crush on Jacin, there was no way it wouldn't get out. "But it does…hurt me…that he was here when you and I were supposed to get together."

Winter tilted her head. "Jacin is always here. We share everything."

Cress took a deep breath. "I know you two are going to get married, but does he have to be involved in everything? Can't we ever just have time for us? Just you and me? _I'm_ not marrying Jacin."

Winter stared at her, like she was half considering it and half dreaming. Cress wrapped her arms around herself. If Winter didn't even get this, she would never get why Cress had bothered to hire a man to pose as her boyfriend for the weekend.

"There's a reason I chose Jacin," Winter said. "He makes me feel safe. He helps me with my anxiety. He calms me down when the nightmares get bad."

Cress looked at her sister with some surprise. "I thought…I thought that had gotten better."

Winter shook her head.

"Are you still on those meds?"

Winter pointed at an orange bottle of pills on the coffee table. Cress hadn't even noticed them. "Every day, twice a day," Winter sing-songed.

"Oh. I didn't know."

"There are a lot of things you don't know…you've barely talked to me."

Guilt washed over her. Winter's anxiety had been bad when they were younger — terrifying, even.

But then, Cress remembered why she was there. She was used to accommodating her sister, but even as sad as it was to learn that Winter still had struggles, Cress was here to focus on her own for once.

There was a part of her that wanted to bond with her sister again, to ask her more questions about her life. To catch up. To go back to the way it was before Winter and Jacin had started dating.

But she knew that it wasn't just about Jacin anymore. Perhaps it had unraveled their relationship in the end, but he wasn't the sole issue. Cress still felt bombarded by Winter's life. Somehow, it always overshadowed her own. Even after disappearing for a few months, her life was still so consumed by Winter that she didn't even know where her own identity started if she separated herself from her sister.

It was one of the reasons that she was looking forward to going to New York.

She wasn't ready to talk to her sister about all of that, though.

So, drawing herself up in the couch and folding her hands, Cress recited the speech she had practiced: "Winter, I know that you and Jacin heard us talking in the bathroom about it, so I wanted to come clean. Carswell was never my boyfriend. The truth is...I hired him to pretend to be my boyfriend for Christmas weekend."

She paused as her entire body began to shake. Winter still had the same part-dreamy look on her face, though it was mixed with an obvious concern.

Cress rushed on, "I know that must sound crazy. I feel crazy about it myself…"

Stars, she felt so crazy saying it out loud. And as the rest of her prepared speech came to mind, Cress froze up. She couldn't get it out. Her body was shaking like crazy and she _was_ crazy and her mouth had gone dry.

"I have to go," she said, jumping to her feet.

"You hired him," Winter murmured, her eyes as wide as orbs. "That's what Jacin thought. I thought for sure he must have misunderstood."

"He's not a prostitute," Cress blurted, her cheeks flaming. Then, before she could stop them, tears ran down her face. "He's kind and a gentleman and he made me feel loved this weekend when no one else did. And I know you can't understand that"—she wiped at her cheeks and tried to make her voice stop warbling—"because everyone loves you, but it's different for me. And now Sybil and Levana know, so they're going to tell mom and dad. They're going to tell everyone! If...if you haven't already told everyone."

Winter's brow creased. "Aunts Sybil and Levana? I didn't tell anyone anything, dear sister. Only Jacin and I talked. We wanted to talk to you."

She clutched herself and sobbed, wishing she could make her feet move and leave like she had intended. But more words spilled out of her, angry and grating as she choked on her tears. "They have — _footage_. They recorded us. Recorded everything! They b-b-blackmailed Carswell. They're going to blackmail me too, I know it! I know I made a mistake, but they m-made everything much worse and everything is already horrible."

Winter got to her feet and looked like she wanted to give Cress a hug but Cress held up her hands and backed toward the door. "I'm moving to New York," she sobbed. _Get in, get out_. "I got a great job there. I'm leaving in two days. And I-I have to go home now."

She turned on her heels and ran before Winter could stop her.

Her heart hurt so badly, maybe even more than when Thorne had left.

She tried to control her tears when another tenant joined her in the elevator, but it was no use.

It was inevitable. Saying the words out loud had confirmed what she had already known deep down: she couldn't face everyone knowing the truth. And, thanks to her aunts, everyone would know. Soon, Winter and Jacin and even her parents would learn the real reason behind why she had hired Thorne — the reason that included Jacin, her crush, and more than a year of pain.

Her aunts would tell everyone.

And though she had purposely tried to be clear about Thorne and his role, Sybil and Levana would find a way to twist everything. Like she had told Winter, she knew that the blackmail was coming her way. It had to. It made no sense why Sybil and Levana would be content just harboring that information now that Thorne was out of the picture. She was delusional to think otherwise.

Maybe it would even end up on the Internet.

"Are you okay, miss?" said the man in the elevator.

Cress tried to regain her composure. She shook her head. "No."

"Do you…need help?"

"No."

The elevator door opened before he could ask any more questions, and Cress darted out of the elevator.

"Cress!"

She nearly careened into Jacin in the lobby.

"Are you leaving already? I just forgot something and wanted to pi—"

Cress rushed out of the apartment.

The cold biting against her cheeks was more than welcome. Maybe it would stop the flow of water from her eyes.

She made it a few blocks before she had to pull over. Fresh tears came, and she hated them as much as she hated herself. This was her fault and she deserved each and every new tear.

It was the final act. She was the antagonist, and she had finally fallen.

But at least it was over now. She had said the hardest part. And maybe she wasn't strong enough to face her family now that she'd said it, but at least she was strong enough to leave. She was done pretending that everything was okay when it really, really wasn't. It was time to leave this part of her behind.

Her phone buzzed and buzzed until Cress finally turned it off.


	33. Chapter 33

Cress smoothed down her hair and gave one quick look around her apartment before she opened her door. When she turned the knob, she steadied herself with a deep breath. She had not seen her parents since Christmas. She wasn't sure what to expect, but she didn't give herself any high hopes that this would go well.

Her breath caught in her throat when the entirety of her extended family on her father's side was standing in the hallway.

"Cress, sweetie!" her mother said, holding open her arms and smothering Cress with a hug before she could even process why everyone was there. This was supposed to be a small goodbye for her immediate family before she left for New York.

"Winter told me about Carswell," her mother continued. "You must be devastated. I forgive you for not telling us, but do you really think running away to New York is the answer?"

Cress stiffened in her mother's arms and pulled away slowly. So quietly that she could barely hear herself, she said fearfully, "Winter…told you…about Carswell?" Everyone around them quieted down at her words. "W-what did she say?"

"That you dumped him, of course," Iko said, pushing to the front of the group before her mother could respond. "And she's not _running away_ to New York, Aunt Rosie." Iko put her hands on her hips. "I admire Cress for getting the job of her dreams. I wish more women had the nerve to leave their boyfriends behind. Think about how many people are held back because of relationships."

Cress's eyes widened indefinitely. "Winter told you all that?" she stuttered.

"Yes," Winter said from somewhere behind Iko. "I thought it was important that they understood that you weren't leaving because of him, but despite him."

Cress didn't know what to say. She had been dreading Winter telling Jacin about Thorne, and then it leaking to her family. She had actually been planning on talking to her family about it today, figuring that Winter would have already said something. But nobody was looking at her strangely, like they knew that she had hired a man to pose as her boyfriend.

In fact, most of them were smiling at her.

"It…um, was a hard decision," she said. "I care about Carswell a lot but…his life is here."

 _Aces._ She had promised herself she that was done with lying. But if Winter had lied…maybe it was for the better. If Winter could keep her secret, Cress could keep it too.

"I, for one," said her father, "absolutely agree with your decision. One should never choose a man over a career. Though I do wish you could have a career here near us."

Cress's eyes grew misty. "Thanks, Dad." She sniffed and looked around. "What are all of you doing here?"

Iko raised an eyebrow. "We're here to send you off, silly."

"You are?"

"You didn't think we'd let you leave without saying goodbye, did you?" Scarlet said. Murmurs went through the hallway as almost everyone agreed.

"Jacin even went all the way to the cabin to pick up Sybil and Levana," said her mom with a loving look at her future son-in-law.

"Yes," Aunt Sybil said sourly. "As if we couldn't drive ourselves."

"He wanted to make sure you didn't miss out on saying goodbye to your niece," said her mom. "I think it's rather thoughtful of Jacin."

As Cress tried to smile, a knot formed in her stomach. Winter had lied to everyone about why she had broken up with Carswell, but Jacin had driven almost two hours out of his way back and forth to pick up her aunts? It made no sense, with Winter knowing that they knew. She glanced at Levana. Her smug smile nearly made Cress tremble with fear.

 _Half an hour until you're gone_ , she reminded herself. _You can get through this._

"Are you just going to make us stand here all day?" Iko said.

"Oh!" Cress said, moving out of the doorway. "Of course not! Come in!"

Her studio apartment was soon overcrowded with people, despite the lack of furniture. She had gotten rid of all of it the day before. Cress couldn't afford to ship many items to New York, so she had opted to sell most of it online. Apparently, her prices had been too generous because most of her stuff had sold within hours. The only things that remained in her apartment now were the stools by the kitchen counter that belonged to the landlord, two suitcases of stuff that she was taking with her, and a cardboard box of personal belongings that she was leaving with her parents for the time being.

"Scarlet brought some food," Iko said.

"And dinnerware too," Scarlet said, holding up several bags. She started taking out food and setting it on the counter. Cress noticed two pies and a frosted cake. She didn't, however, see her favorite cousin.

"Where's Ze'ev?" Cress said.

"Who cares?" Ran said, grabbing a plate out of Scarlet's hands. "Let's eat."

"He had to pick up Cinder and Kai," Scarlet explained.

"They don't even live near each other," Cress said.

"Don't worry about it, Cress," Iko said. "They'll get here when they get here. Ran! Stop stealing all the pie!"

Cress laughed, albeit nervously, and surveyed her crowded living room and former bedroom. Uncle Garan was talking to Aunt Adri and her dad. Sybil and Levana were in deep discussion by the window. Jacin held Winter and conversed with her mom. Ran was getting swatted by both Scarlet and Iko as they tried to finish setting up everything on the counter. Aunt Maha wasn't present, but Cress figured she was working since she always had evening shifts.

"Iko," she said, tapping her cousin. "Where's Liam?"

Iko rolled her eyes. "He was disrespecting me so I broke it off."

Cress gasped. "I'm so sorry! What did he do?"

"Not much. That was the problem. If he learns to treat me like the queen I am, then maybe we can talk. But any talking would have to be preceded by lots of groveling." Iko flipped one of her blue braids over her shoulder and huffed.

"Wow," Cress said. "I hope…I hope you find someone who treats you right."

Iko shrugged. "I treat myself right, that's what matters."

"It's a shame about Carswell," Scarlet said, sitting down on the stool. "All of us liked him a lot. And I think we're a hard bunch to please." She gave Cress a questioning look, which Cress ignored.

"I meant what I said to Rosie," Iko added, "but don't you think you should at least give long-distance a shot? You guys seemed so good together."

Cress turned beet red, as usual. "It wouldn't have worked. There were other things we…we didn't agree on, besides the move. We were too different."

Scarlet and Iko exchanged a look. Scarlet shook her head at Iko.

"I _loved_ Carswell," Ran drawled, wedging himself between Scarlet and Iko. After grabbing more pie, he said, "He was _so_ romantic and handsome." He laughed as Scarlet shoved him away.

"Don't listen to him," Scarlet said. "I doubt he's ever even been on a date."

"Yes," Aunt Sybil said, coming to join them. "Don't listen to Ran." She took a slice of yellow cake and leaned against the counter with a bored smile. "I think you and Carswell were bad for each other from the start. I couldn't see any sparks between you."

A shrill laugh came from behind Cress. "You're so right, Sybil," Levana said. "That was one pair doomed from the start."

Her aunts laughed together. Cress had to look away, knowing what they knew—what they had done. She wanted to slap both of them for getting in the middle of her relationship with Thorne. After all, if they hadn't meddled and been despicable, maybe things would have turned out differently.

She hated them with every bone in her body.

"Go away," Iko said. "Just because Jacin wanted you here doesn't mean I do. And I'm the one that organized this farewell party."

Levana put her arm around Cress, though. "We wouldn't have missed saying goodbye for anything, isn't that right, Sybil?"

Sybil shook her head as she poked at her cake. "Of course not, Levana. We so enjoy our time with our dear niece. She's always been so… _obedient_."

"Why, yes," Levana cooed. "Cress has always known right from wrong, after all. Unlike some people, she is aware of the… _consequences_ …that befall those who make the wrong decisions. Every action has a reaction."

Cress just nodded. She had known it all along: the blackmail was coming and they were just preparing her for it—putting her in her place in case she got any ideas about getting back together with Thorne.

"I am going to go say bye to the others," Cress said quickly. "There's not much time left before we need to leave for the airport, after all."

"Do make sure you come back and visit often, Crescent," Aunt Sybil said with a smirk.

Cress made her way to Uncle Garan and Aunt Adri. It was a quick goodbye, as Cress had never been as close to them as she had with Cinder and Iko. She realized, then, that she wouldn't get a chance to say goodbye to Peony and Pearl, who were still away for study abroad. But she had never been close to the twins either. She would see them again at Winter and Jacin's wedding.

Cress glanced at the door. She hoped that Cinder, Kai, and Ze'ev would make it before it was time to go. All of her time spent avoiding her family this week had made her forget that she actually liked most of her cousins and would miss their company.

Thinking it made her feel like a jerk. Iko had planned this small farewell party. Scarlet had made food. Everyone had taken time out of their evening to send her off.

Cress hoped that when she was in New York, she would be able to to separate her complicated relationship with Winter from her relationship with everyone else in the family.

"Everyone," Iko called, "We have some time for an activity."

Everyone groaned, including Cress. But maybe an activity was better than trying to make small talk. Without Thorne by her side, Cress still felt the same insignificance at this family gathering, even if it was for her. It was another thing she wanted to work on in NY: her confidence. She would always be an introvert, but there had to be a better way to survive family gatherings than renting a boyfriend.

"This activity is simple," Iko said, clapping her hands with delight. "Since Cress is leaving, I think all of us should say one thing that we're going to miss about her."

"Aww," Cress's mom said. "You're going to make me cry already and we're not even at the airport yet!"

"And we haven't even _started_ yet, Aunt Rosie," Iko said.

"That's okay," Cress said quickly, turning red again. "We probably don't have to go into all that."

"Nonsense," Iko said. "I'll go first. I'm going to miss trying out different hairstyles with Cress."

Ran laughed. "Shallow, much?"

Iko said indignantly, "Excuse me. It is really hard to find people who have good hair and actually want to experiment on it." She smiled at Cress. "I also love talking fashion with you, but we're only supposed to say one thing right now."

"I'll go next," Scarlet offered. "Cress is incredibly smart. She always has something unique to add to conversation."

Cress wanted to say, _Really?_ but stammered, "T-Thank you, Scarlet."

"I can't pick one thing," Cress's mom said. "I'll miss everything about my daughter, of course. So will Sage."

Cress's dad nodded and put his arm around his wife.

"Ran?" Scarlet prompted.

"I'm not going to miss you," he said with an eye roll.

"Ran!" said Cress's mom.

"What? She's not going to miss me either, and we both know it."

The door to Cress's apartment burst open. Cinder, followed by Kai and Ze'ev, strolled in, looking breathless. "We're here!" Cinder said. "We made it!" Her eyes searched the room until she found Iko. The two of them exchanged a nod.

Iko said, "Excellent! Why don't we take a break from our activity for casual conversation amongst ourselves?" Without waiting for anyone to respond, she ran to Cinder and began whispering. Cinder swatted her away.

Cress watched them curiously, but Kai strode over to her. "Hey Cress," he said brightly. "Sorry we're late."

Ze'ev joined them. "We were picking up your farewell gift."

Cress perked up. "Thank you! What is it?"

"You'll see soon enough," Ze'ev said.

"It's untraditional," Kai said. "But it's from all the cousins." He puffed up his chest. "And those of us who are soon to be your cousins-in-law."

"So Cinder hasn't changed her mind about marrying you yet?" Cress said with a smile.

"No, ma'am!" Kai's eyes twinkled. "Oh! You'll come up here for our wedding, won't you?"

"When is it?"

Kai shrugged. "I have no idea. Maybe in a year? Maybe in three months? Whatever my lovely bride decides." It seemed he had chosen his words wisely, because Cinder joined his side right as he said _lovely bride_. His arms snaked around her waist and drew her close. "My _very_ lovely bride."

"You guys have always been so cute," Cress said. "I'll do my best to make the wedding, whenever it is."

"Don't worry about your ticket," Cinder said. "If that Broadway job doesn't pay well, Kai can help you out. What's important is that you're there. We're going to have a private ceremony just for family."

"Oh really?" Kai said. "What about all my business associates?"

"What about 'whatever my lovely bride decides'?" Cinder shot back.

As the two of them squabbled, Ze'ev said, "We're all going to miss you, Cress. I hope you know that." He scooped her up in a bone-crushing hug. "Please keep in touch."

"I will," she said, but a part of her felt like she was lying again. There was technology and it was easy to keep in touch these days, but she just didn't know what she needed at this point. "Make sure Scarlet posts her baby bump updates on Instagram."

"That would be great," Winter said, joining them.

Cress looked away. She hadn't responded to any of her sister's text messages since she'd run out of her apartment. And though Winter hadn't told anyone about Thorne, apparently, Cress was scared to look her in the eye. On one hand, she had misjudged her sister for being a tattletale when she wasn't. On the other hand, they had a lot of unresolved issues that were not going to get resolved in a thirty-minute goodbye party.

"Cress should post pictures too," Winter said. Jacin joined her, putting his arm around her as usual. "We all want to keep up with your life there."

Cress nodded. What else could she do?

She looked around the room, surrounded by family, and her thoughts drifted to Thorne. Two weeks ago, his presence had completed her family. He had fit in so naturally — more naturally than even her. His absence was a reminder of all the mistakes she had made, both with her family and with him.

She hoped he was okay. There had been so many times that she had wanted to pick up the phone and call him. Instead, she had scrolled through the selfies they had taken together on the morning they had exchanged gifts. Before she had broken his fingers in the snow.

Even Cress had to admit that they looked like a real couple.

She touched her lips, remembering how they had spent New Year's Eve together. It had really been perfect, despite the news that she had kept from him and all the alcohol she had consumed.

No, not the night. _He_ had been perfect.

"Don't forget to get some dessert," Scarlet said.

In almost an instant, Cress was alone with Winter and Jacin. She stared at her feet for an awkward moment. Then, before she could change her mind, Cress left them and found her mom.

"I think we need to get going, Mom. I don't want to miss my flight."

"It's still a little early, Cress. Are you sure you're ready to go?"

"I'm nervous. I just want to get there and check-in."

"Okay, sweetie." Her mom raised her voice. "Can I have two manly men take Cress's suitcases down to her car?"

"What about womanly women?" Scarlet said with a huff.

"You're not lifting anything," Ze'ev said.

"I'm barely pregnant!" she protested.

"I'll take them," Uncle Garan said. "Adri can help me."

Adri grumbled but complied.

Jacin cleared his throat. "Rosie and Sage? Before you leave for the airport, I was wondering if I could speak with the two of you in private."

Cress's mom frowned. "Is everything okay, Jacin?"

"Yes. Would you join me in the hallway for a moment?"

Both her parents looked worried as they followed Jacin, Garan, and Adri out the door.

Iko shooed Ran out too and toed the door shut behind them. "Alone at last!"

Cress gulped. What was Jacin talking to her parents about? And why was he doing it alone, without Winter? Did he disapprove of her decision not to tell anyone about Thorne?

"Cress," Iko continued. "I lied to you and I'm sorry about that, but in my defense it was for your own benefit."

"All of us did," Scarlet said.

"Oh?" Cress stammered.

They all avoided eye contact. A bead of sweat formed on Cress's forehead. Levana exchanged a look with Sybil, but looked curiously at all the cousins.

"Like a Band-Aid," Scarlet murmured, then said, "We know why you and Carswell broke up."

Cress froze.

"Winter told us," Iko said with a shrug.

"But only because I had to," Winter said as Cress rounded on her.

"Well," Levana said, slithering toward them. "I'm glad the truth of the matter is out there. Cress hiring Carswell Thorne to pretend to be her boyfriend in my own home is such a disgrace."

"Disgusting, really," Sybil added.

"I.. _.hate_ you," Cress whispered, her voice trembling. She didn't know who she was directing her words at, though: Levana or her sister.

A hand landed on her shoulder. "I think it's time we give Cress her present," Ze'ev said rather firmly.

"I know you're mad that everyone knows," Winter said, but Cress held up her hand.

"Don't."

"Stars, just tell her already," Iko said. "We don't need this turning into an unnecessary sister feud!"

"I only told them because I needed help getting rid of the tapes!" Winter said. She turned to face Levana and Sybil. "It was cruel of you to record our family. And to blackmail Carswell so that he would dump Cress?" Winter shook her head.

"We knew you were evil," Iko said, "but not that evil."

"Excuse me," Aunt Sybil said. Her tone was laced with ice. "What do you mean you needed help getting rid of the tapes? There are no tapes."

Kai snorted. "Recordings, same thing. We've made sure your home collection is missing a specific Christmas weekend."

Cress's jaw dropped. "W-what?"

But her words were lost as Levana's hand crushed her styrofoam cup.

"That's right," Cinder said. "You didn't really believe Jacin wanted to drive all the way out there to get you, did you? No one wanted either of you to be here. We just needed you away from the cabin so we could break in and get those recordings." Cinder jerked her thumb at Kai and Ze'ev. "That's why we're late."

"Sybil, call the police," Levana said.

"Ah, ah, ah," said Iko, wagging her finger. "As I am, of course, the mastermind of this plan, I would advise you not to do that. And I would advise you not to ever mention the fact that Cress hired Carswell to anyone outside of the people in this room."

"How dare you—"

"My daring mission team stumbled upon your entire collection," Iko continued. "And, just as we thought, it's as disturbing as the both of you. You have been recording this family for a long time."

"Did you know it's illegal to record footage of minors without explicit consent from their parents?" Ze'ev said.

Sybil's cheeks burned red as Cress tried to absorb all the information her cousins were spitting out.

"You're sick," Cinder added. "But footage of minors is probably the least disgusting thing that we found, and we only had the last two hours in the car to get an idea. We're going to turn it over to the police and let them decide what to do with it. After all, we're not the only people you've hosted in the last ten years since your recordings began."

"You're going to jail," Kai said with a glower.

"We'll see about that," Levana said, but even her false, saccharine smile had faded.

"And threatening us with jail is no way to ensure our lips don't loosen about Cress's indiscretions," Sybil added. "Especially around her parents."

"Yeah, about that," Kai said. He nodded at Cinder.

"We also found files on your computer that show your former, pre-plastic surgery selves."

"And a few of you immediately after," Kai added.

Sybil, Levana, and Cress gasped at the same time. Cress had always known that her aunts had had massive work done on both their bodies and their faces — rumor was that plastic surgery was how they had met. But she couldn't imagine them looking any differently than they did now.

"Breaking into someone's computer is a criminal offense," Levana managed to stutter.

"There was nothing to break into," Ze'ev said with a shrug. "The computer was on and logged in. It's not our fault you left it that way when you left."

"I'm guessing you don't want those pictures to go viral," Iko said. She pulled out her phone. "Cinder already sent them to me, so I can make that happen with a press of my thumb."

"No!" Levana shrieked.

Iko grinned wickedly. "I thought so."

"If we get any hint whatsoever that you have shared Cress's secret with anyone," Scarlet said, "we'll make sure everyone sees it. Including your former girlfriends…whoever they are."

"Well, I _never_ —"

"I think that settles that," Winter said airily. "It's time for you to leave now."

"If you think we'll ever host you at our home again, you're wrong!" Sybil said. "Come on, Levana."

"Have fun with your prostitute," Levana sneered at Cress.

"He's not a..." Cress's voice trailed off.

Iko locked the door behind them before Cress's parents could come back in. "Victory!" she squealed, clapping her hands.

"Iko," Scarlet said sternly, "I'm sure Cress is a little overwhelmed right now."

"Right," Iko said, a little less enthusiastically.

Overwhelmed wasn't cutting it. Cress was on the verge of tears, but unsure if it was from embarrassment or relief. Perhaps a lot of both.

Winter took a step toward her. "I'm sorry, Cress. I wanted to keep your secret, but I knew you were right. Sybil and Levana would blackmail you for the rest of your life. I wanted to help you…I'm sorry that I did it behind your back."

Ze'ev cleared his throat. "While we don't all necessarily agree that hiring a man to be your boyfriend and lying to us is a good idea…"

"In fact," Scarlet cut in, "we think it's dangerous."

"Scarlet," Ze'ev said, a warning in his voice.

"I know," Cress said, her heart racing. "I met him before I brought him to the cabin, I swear. I went to his house, signed a contract, drove with him! I-I—"

"It's okay," Cinder said. She sighed. "I mean, it's not, and we wish you would have told us yourself, but…the point is…all of us cousins feel like we must have made you feel really unwelcome if you had to hire someone to make spending Christmas with us endurable."

Cress still couldn't look at her cousins. When Cinder put it that way, it made her cousins all sound like the antagonists of the story, rather than her. And it also meant…it also meant Winter hadn't said anything about Jacin—possibly hadn't figured it out either.

If that was the case, it was one secret that Cress would take to the grave, she decided.

Even if it hurt her cousins.

After everything they had done for her.

"You guys don't make me feel unwelcome," she whispered.

"Well," Ze'ev said, "we just wanted you to know that we love you and enjoy having you around. We really will miss you, and we hope that helping out with Sybil and Levana will put your mind at ease."

"Your secret is safe with us," Iko said.

"Jacin is pretending to ask mom and dad about a surprise for me at the wedding," Winter said. "He'll keep your secret too."

When Cress looked at her sister, she saw sincerity in her eyes. That, and a lot of sadness. Cress had to look away again. But she managed to face most of her cousins when she said, "T-Thank you. Thank you for…for helping me and…for not judging me."

"Oh, we definitely judged you," said Iko. "But more because you let Carswell go! He was _fine_ , Cress."

"Yeah," said Kai, running a hand through his hair. "I endured awkward hot tub guy talk with him on your behalf. He was totally falling for you."

Cinder snorted. "You _loved_ hot tub guy talk with Carswell."

Kai grinned and rolled his eyes at his fiancée. "You know what I mean. We thought you were into him, Cress. Did you lie about that too?"

"Of course," she said quickly, her face flaming. "It was all an act." Then she shook her head. "No, that was a lie. There were a few hours when…when it felt real."

Iko squealed. "See! I told you guys!"

"So what happened?" Scarlet asked.

A knock sounded on the door. "Cress?" her mother called. "What's going on? Why is the door locked?"

"Just a second!" Iko called.

Everyone waited for Cress to answer. There were so many reasons she could give—all real reasons that were true. So she settled for the one, simple, glaring reason. The one that didn't need any other reasons to back it up. The one that no one, not even Thorne, could argue with: "I'm moving," she said.

Then Cress hugged her cousins, thanked them profusely for their help, and left for the airport with her parents, Winter, and Jacin. Her heart felt lighter on the ride over, knowing what her family had done for her.

Thorne, of course, didn't make a surprise appearance at the airport. Not that she had been expecting him to. It wasn't like she had given him the details of her flight. Or done anything at all to deserve his presence. But there was something deep and buried that ached when she stepped onto her plane, and she knew that, for once, it had nothing to do with Winter.


	34. Chapter 34

Someone wouldn't let Thorne sleep in.

After a few minutes of knocking, Thorne dragged himself out of bed. It was an ungodly hour on a Saturday morning for anyone to make a house visit, let alone deliver pamphlets or preach about conversion.

"I'm coming," he growled, throwing on a shirt.

Not that anyone would hear him all the way downstairs. He padded down the carpet of his staircase, his knees giving a little crack every now and then. At the bottom of the steps, in front of the door, he took his time stretching, working his knees a little too so they wouldn't feel so stiff. There was another set of knocks on the door, but Thorne figured if they had knocked this long, they could wait another minute.

He placed his eye in front of the peephole as if it were a microscope, the way he did every time a new client came to his home. He had long doubted that showing his clients where he lived was a good idea, but one too many times feeling trapped at his clients' homes had made it the lesser of two evils. At least at his home, he knew where he kept his gun if some weirdo showed up. Though he had a permit, he didn't carry on dates with his clients. That made for too many awkward questions and undesirable outfits on his part.

From behind the safety of his door, he could at least weed out people who had lied about their description or even sometimes their intentions. Like, for example, if a grandma showed up (hey, it had happened once) or someone was obviously a minor (a much more plausible situation — apparently his services were coveted for events like senior prom). He could examine each visitor carefully, trusting his instincts before opening the door and allowing them into his home.

This time, he didn't need to examine anyone. He drew back from the peephole with a stifled groan, called up the personification of a perfect gentleman, and opened the door.

"Thank the stars," Kai said. He pushed the door open and ducked under Thorne's arm to get inside, not even waiting for Thorne to invite him in. "It's freezing out here."

"I told you he was in here," Ze'ev said. His body was too bulky to squeeze past Thorne, so Ze'ev stopped right in front of Thorne as if he expected him to step aside. Which Thorne did, albeit reluctantly.

"What are you guys doing here?" Thorne said.

The guys were already going through the entryway, though, and Thorne could do nothing but follow them into his living room.

"This place is massive," Kai said, plopping into Thorne's couch. "It's not as big as the cabin, of course, but _man_. You have your own _house_. All for yourself. Business must be booming, huh?"

Ze'ev stood straight-backed, his hands clasped behind his back.

Both of them waited for Thorne to say something, so Thorne said lamely, "Business?"

Kai waved his hand. "We know everything. No need to pretend anymore."

Keeping his face neutral, Thorne studied Kai, then Ze'ev. Both of them stared back at him without flinching. Kai was even grinning a little. Thorne cleared his throat. "I don't know what you're referring to."

"You and Cress." Kai looked at Thorne like he was stupid to not catch on. "Pretending to be dating? You being an escort?"

Thorne had, naturally, caught on the second he had even seen them at the door. Cress had said she would tell her family everything. Clearly she had. Only he hadn't expected anyone to grin at him. In fact, he had half-expected Ze'ev to pummel him into oblivion.

There had only been a few times when someone had caught on, and Thorne had always managed to squash any doubts with his charm and a few well-placed lies. He didn't think those would work now, and the thought of Cress and her family made something in his chest tighten in a way he didn't appreciate. It had been five weeks since he'd seen her. He had moved on.

"Unfortunately," he said, "I can't discuss it."

"Oh, come on, Carswell," Kai said.

"We're not here to make trouble," Ze'ev added. "Why don't you have a seat?"

Thorne raised his eyebrows. He didn't need someone inviting him to have a seat in his own couch. He sauntered over there anyway, too tired to argue about anything.

"I'm sitting," he said grumpily.

"Tell us about Cress," Ze'ev said, finally taking a seat himself.

"It's confidential. I signed a contract."

"Your contract is shot to hell now, don't you think?" Kai said.

Thorne pressed his lips together. He was a businessman, and he was not about to get roped into some sort of legal battle with Cress. That sort of thing could ruin his reputation, let alone his business.

"Does Cress know you're here?"

Both of them shook their heads.

"Then I'm not saying anything."

"Carswell—"

"It's Thorne."

Kai raised an eyebrow. "You go by your last name?"

"To anyone who isn't my client, yeah. Now, what do you want? Or are you here to give me a lecture about how lying is a bad way to make a living? Cuz believe me, I've heard it."

Ze'ev said, "Does Cress really feel unloved by her family?"

The question took Thorne by surprise. He let out a breath. "Sorry guys, but I really do take my job seriously. I can't discuss anything that Cress and I talked about in private. It wouldn't be right…even if it weren't a job. Whatever Cress wants tell you or not tell you is up to her."

"It seemed so real," Kai said. "All of it. None of us had any idea that Cress was such a good liar. With your personality, it makes sense, I suppose. So good job. You fooled everyone."

"It's easy to fool people when there is truth behind the lie," Ze'ev said, fixing a pointed look on Thorne.

Thorne scoffed.

"That's what I thought," Ze'ev murmured.

Kai grinned again. "You like her, don't you?"

Thorne didn't say anything.

"Oh, come on. That's not in your contract. I was with you in the hot tub, buddy. Only I thought you were nervous about sleeping with Cress for the first time. After all, who would've ever thought the entire thing was a lie? So you can't blame me. But that's not what it was about, was it? You were totally falling for your client, weren't you? Those beers just loosened your lips."

Thorne could barely remember the conversation he had with Kai in the hot tub, though he knew it had occurred, at least. He had messed up, forgetting about the meds he had taken for his hand. If only he hadn't miscalculated that, he surely wouldn't have mouthed off in front of Cress's family.

He had just been trying to compliment Cress. The only good thing was that their misunderstandings had led to them getting together.

He shook his head. They had never been together. Not really. First the circumstance hadn't allowed it, then Cress hadn't allowed it.

"Your aunts are psychopaths," Thorne said instead.

"Oh," Kai said, "we know all about that too."

"You do?"

"All taken care of."

Thorne sat up. "How?"

"Don't worry about it," Ze'ev said. "All you need to know is that they won't be bothering Cress again. Nor you."

Thorne whistled appreciatively, but his mind was running through a thousand reasons why Levana and Sybil would ever keep quiet.

Kai nodded. "Cress apparently doesn't think so, but we do care about her a lot. The cousins took care of it before she left for New York."

"The cousins…," Thorne murmured, wondering how Cress had survived her confession conversation. "How many people know?"

"Everyone except the adults." Kai and Ze'ev exchanged a look. "And we plan to keep it that way."

"Thanks," Thorne said. "Who sent you guys here, by the way?"

Ze'ev gave him a look that said, _Think about it._

"Scarlet?"

Kai laughed. "It was a group decision, let's leave it at that. Us men were perceived to be the least threatening, apparently."

"And Jacin?"

Kai pulled on his collar, all dramatics. "After you punched him in the face? He was certainly not in the least threatening category."

Thorne stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Yeah. Sorry about that."

Ze'ev shrugged. "We're not here about Jacin. We're here about Cress."

"Then you might as well leave. I'm not discussing her."

He was met with silence, and Thorne sank back in the cushions. There was his contract to consider, but he also just didn't want to discuss her. He had moved on. There was no sense in digging up the past.

"We're pretty sure she loves you too," Ze'ev said softly.

"I'm pretty sure you don't know how _wrong_ you are," Thorne burst out. Realizing he had clenched his fists, he took a deep breath and let any negative energy leave him.

It was Saturday. He didn't have to work tonight. He had moved on.

"She was different around you," Kai said. "Everyone saw it. Don't let this business thing get between what could be a great relationship."

Thorne snorted. "I date women for a living, Kai. Tell me Cinder would be okay with you doing _this business thing_."

Kai held up his hands. "Okay, so not every relationship is smooth sailing from the get go, but you both managed to lie your way through Christmas weekend with our family. If you can survive that, you can survive anything."

Ze'ev said, "We would be willing to help you look for other job opportunities. I'm sure you must have transferable skills. You've set up your own business, haven't you? How many people can say that at the young age of…how old _are_ you? Was anything about you real?"

"It doesn't matter," Thorne said. "None of it matters. What the two of you and the rest of your family don't get is that Cress and I _did_ have a chance to make it work. But Cress didn't choose me. She _doesn't_ want me. She _doesn't_ love me."

"But you love her."

"I didn't say that."

"But—"

"No, he didn't say that, Kai." Ze'ev cleared his throat. "Thorne's right. If the two of them don't want to be together, who are we to interfere?" He rose to his feet. Kai followed suit.

"That's it?" Thorne said. "You're leaving already?"

"We've already overstayed our visit," Ze'ev said. "Our mission was to come and extract information about Cress and as you've pointed out several times, you're a locked vault. So, pray for us tonight when the women in our lives make us sleep on the couch."

Thorne had to laugh. He couldn't help it.

"We also wanted to make sure you knew that Levana and Sybil can't blackmail either of you anymore," Kai blurted. Ze'ev grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him toward the door. "So there's nothing standing in the way," Kai continued, sounding almost desperate, "if you _wanted_ to be together!"

Thorne rubbed the back of his neck. "Thanks guys. For coming. It was really decent of you. I'm…I'm glad to know that Cress can breathe more easily."

"I bet she would breathe even easier with you—"

" _Kai_!" Ze'ev barked. "Know when to quit. Thorne made himself quite clear."

"It's okay, Ze'ev," Thorne said. "I'd be afraid of Cinder's wrath too." He chuckled, then shook his head sadly. "We gotta respect when a girl says no. Right?"

"True," Kai said. He held out his hand. "Hey, no hard feelings. We enjoyed getting to know you."

Thorne gave him a firm handshake, and before he knew it, Kai was drawing him in for a hug. "Thanks, Kai. Me too."

"You can still come hang out and play Kingdom Wars Reloaded with us," Kai offered as Thorne moved to shake Ze'ev's hand too. "Cress is in New York, so…"

"Thanks, Kai, but I don't think that's a good idea."

He didn't add how tempting of an offer it was. He had enjoyed getting to know Cress's family…at least, some of them. Kai and Ze'ev were cool. But hanging around them certainly wouldn't help with the process of moving on.

Not that he still needed to move on.

He _had_ moved on.

Hadn't he?

"Okay, man," Kai said. "No pressure."

"I'm sure we'll see you around the Twin Cities some time," Ze'ev said.

"Yeah, about that…" Thorne ran a hand through his hair. "If you ever see me with another girl…don't mention…you know. Anything."

"No problem," Ze'ev said firmly, tugging on Kai's arm as he moved to open the door. "We're sorry we bombarded you this early on a Saturday, Thorne. We just wanted to make sure we caught you."

"Next time, just call."

"We didn't have your number. Just the address where Winter and Jacin dropped you off after Christmas."

"Ah." After hesitating a moment, he pulled out one of his business cards. "Here. Now you won't have to wake me up at 8:00 a.m. if you ever need me again."

Kai's eyes widened. "1-800-CAPTAIN?"

Thorne had to keep himself from turning red. He should have just given them his personal cell number. They both reached the same line, after all, on his cell. "Well, yeah," he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Gotta have a catchy number these days."

"Are there photos of you online and stuff?"

" _Kai_ ," Ze'ev said. "It's really none of our business."

Thorne laughed. "No, no photos. Just descriptions, reviews, stuff like that."

Kai whistled.

"Kai is going to google you later, I'm sure," Ze'ev said.

Thorne nodded. "Have fun with that. And—" He had been about to say, _And keep in touch_. But he shut his mouth. "Thanks for dropping by. Tell Cinder and Scarlet I said not to be too hard on you for not getting the information they needed."

Kai laughed nervously. "Don't be surprised if someone else shows up."

"Better if they just call," he said, shrugging.

He shut the door behind them and sighed. His heart was racing, and he didn't even know why. Thorne dragged his butt back to bed and forced himself not to think about it.

* * *

Two days later, Thorne's 1-800-CAPTAIN line rang. He was in the middle of wolfing down a burger with extra cheese and bacon, so he barely managed to answer before the final ring.

"1-800-CAPTAIN, this is the Captain speaking. How may I be of service?"

There was a small silence, and Thorne swallowed the sizable piece of burger still in his mouth.

"Um, hi…" said a feminine voice. "I, um, saw your ad online and think I would like to…um, hire you."

Thorne wiped his mouth and stood. He needed to be in his 1-800-CAPTAIN persona when he spoke to his clients, and the food in front of him and his sloppy clothes — with a few stains of Ketchup on them — weren't doing the trick. The girl had that familiar, nervous ring to her voice. Most girls were embarrassed to be calling him, after all. It was his job to put them at ease.

"Well, hello there. I'm glad you made the decision to call me. This phone call is the hardest part of the process, I promise."

"Um, thanks?"

Clearly he needed to take the lead on this one. "Let's get right into the details. What sort of event are you hoping to hire me for?"

"A wedding."

"Wonderful. I adore weddings. And I can assure you, I have accompanied many young women to weddings as part of my job. It's actually one of the more common requests."

"Oh."

"When is the wedding?" Thorne prompted.

There was whispering on the other end of the line. Thorne strained to hear but couldn't make anything out. So, maybe this girl wasn't as timid as he had imagined if she had a friend there encouraging her to make the call. Maybe they had surfed his website together.

"It's in two weeks."

Thorne put her on speaker and thumbed through his calendar. "Friday or Saturday?"

"That's the thing. Do you, um, ever travel for your jobs?"

"Of course. Where is the wedding?"

There was a slight hesitation. "Philadelphia."

Thorne was the one to hesitate now, but he quickly recovered. "I see. Is this a weekend thing, then?"

The girl spoke so quickly it sounded like she was reciting from a script. "There is a rehearsal dinner on Friday and then the wedding is on Saturday and then there's a luncheon on Sunday after the wedding. It's a full weekend thing and we wouldn't be back until Monday. My boyfriend broke up with me last minute and I'm the bridesmaid and I really, really need someone to be there with me."

"Okay,slow down, there. It's okay. That's exactly what I'm here for. What's your name, darlin'?"

"Um…it's…um, Kate."

"It's nice to meet you, Kate. You can call me Carswell."

A nervous giggle.

Thorne's calendar was almost completely free that weekend. He had a dentist appointment on Friday morning, but he could change that. As he scrolled through the rest of the month, he realized he barely had any jobs booked at all. There had always been a reason to reject many of the offers that had come in lately. He had recently changed his terms on his website, and also increased his fees. When they tried to negotiate new terms or lesser fees, he didn't even try. He just told them flat out that he wouldn't do it.

But now he realized he had barely booked anything at all. He needed this job.

"I'm not sure if you viewed my contract online extensively, Kate, but I recently updated some of my policies. Do you know where you'll be staying yet?"

"Um…" More whispering. "The bride and groom have rented out a hotel. So I guess you would be in the hotel room with me?"

Thorne nodded. "Call the hotel and make sure that our room has two beds. I don't sleep next to my clients."

"Oh!" Nervous giggling. "That's fine."

"Do you know what role you would like me to play? Your boyfriend, perhaps?"

"Yes, my boyfriend."

"I have a strict policy on PDA. I'll allow one romantic kiss at the time of your choosing, but other than that it's only adoring looks and pecks on the cheek. Otherwise, I find it creates too much confusion about our professional relationship."

Kate burst into a fit of giggles. "That's okay. While I think a kiss from, um, the _Captain_ would probably melt my internal processor, I don't think it will be necessary."

" _Your internal processor?"_ Thorne heard someone else whisper _. "What the hell is that?"_

 _"I'm nervous, okay?"_ Kate hissed bac _k. "You try doing this!"_

Thorne decided to reclaim the situation before Kate's friend could dissuade her from wanting to hire him. The last thing he needed was this potential client hanging up on him out of embarrassment. He had finally found someone who was willing not to share a bed and was fine with not even kissing him! He could go to Philadelphia and have a break from being stuck in his house. Maybe he could extend his stay after the wedding was over. He had never been to Philly but he'd heard it was a cool city and it wasn't too far from New York.

The thought of New York and a certain someone who now lived in New York nearly made him hang up the call. He wasn't going to _visit_ Cress in New York! That was the last thing he needed.

He needed to get his mind _off_ Cress. He had made these new rules because of her, after all. He didn't want to spend the weekend kissing some random girl and Kate seemed like someone who was fine with that. He needed to get a grip, convince her to hire him, and then spend the weekend partying in Philly.

That was why he had this job, after all, wasn't it? It came with perks. Thorne could party with anyone, anywhere. And if this girl was willing to pay for him to fly to Philadelphia, her family was probably loaded. He could get just buzzed enough to keep his 1-800-CAPTAIN demeanor in check and yet still be not completely present.

"Excellent, Kate. I think this is going to work out well. Let's touch base again later this week to finalize some of the details. We'll go over how you want me to act and what our backstory is and game plan for how to impress whoever needs impressing. For now, all I need is for you to make sure you read up on my policies and for you to make sure you understand what the fees include."

"Sure. I don't really have anything else to finalize. I just want you to show up."

He chuckled, hoping it sounded soothing. "I'll show up, darling, no worries. However, since you'll need to book me a plane ticket, I'll need you to sign our contract earlier. I can't really give out all my personal information if you haven't signed the confidentiality clause. You understand, I'm sure."

"Oh! Um…" More whispering. "How do I sign it?"

Wow. This girl was ready to do business. "I prefer to have you sign in person so we can both get a feel for the other." _Plus, he could see whether she was a creep or not._

"I'm afraid I can't meet you in person until you get to Philadelphia."

"What do you mean? We'll be together on the flight."

"No, you'll be flying alone. I travel a lot for work and I'm out of town right now. I am going directly to Philadelphia from, um…Mumbai."

 _Mumbai?_ Wow. Even Thorne was impressed. "Okay, that puts us in a bit of a dilemma. I'm afraid I need that contract signed and I don't feel comfortable sending it over the Internet where all of my personal information could be shared."

He waited as she whispered with her friend again.

"What if I transfer the money into your bank account tonight? Is that enough of a commitment?"

Thorne considered this. "I think that could work, yes. How do you feel about fronting the money for the plane ticket as well and I'll book my own? That way, when I meet you in Philadelphia at the airport, we can sign all the pertinent documents."

"But how do I know you'll come?"

"Fair point. How about you wire me the money for only the plane ticket and then I'll trust you pay me the rest of the fee when I land?"

"What is your fee, by the way?"

"Four days. Long distance travel. Constant attention on you, darlin'. Not to mention it's Valentine's Day weekend. We're rounding out at $6,000 plus the plane ticket."

Kate gasped. "$ _6,000_?! Valentine's Day is on a _Tuesday_."

Thorne frowned. Her voice had changed a little bit in her outburst. He thought that it sounded familiar — and not just because of the nervousness to it.

"I mean," Kate continued, "that's fine."

"Excellent. Let's go ahead and arrange the wire for the plane ticket, then. We can exchange email addresses and you can send me details about the wedding — what to wear, who will be there, what kind of present I should bring along, etc. Now, if you find that kind of information too overwhelming, leave it to me. Just send me a link to their nuptials page and registry, and I'll handle everything. A present for the bride and groom is included in the aforementioned fee for weddings, after all. The budget is approximately $200."

" _Stars_. That's generous!"

"Just doing my job, darlin'."

"Well, Carswell," Kate said, "I am really looking forward to, um, getting to know you."

Thorne chuckled. He wasn't looking forward to getting to know her at all, but he was definitely looking forward to $6,000 and a free trip to Philly.


	35. Chapter 35

Though Thorne didn't tell Kate, this was only the second time that Thorne had flown somewhere to be with a client. This flight was better than the one with Blakely, because it was shorter and Blakely wasn't with him. It was a little strange to meet Kate for the first time in Philadelphia, rather than fly with her, but it gave him an uneventful few hours to get his mind in the game.

The woman sitting next to him was attractive, and he considered asking her a few times if her final destination was Philadelphia. He had booked his ticket through the following weekend, after all, and might enjoy some company.

But every time she looked up at him, giving her a smile that made him believe she welcomed the idea, he thought of Cress. He wondered how she was doing. If she liked New York. If her job was turning out to be worth it. If there was some guy on Broadway that she was already in love with.

So he just smiled back politely at the woman but didn't engage, closing his eyes and telling himself to forget Cress. He had made sure that all of his travel plans included locations south of New York City. After the weekend in Philadelphia, he had booked a hotel for himself in Baltimore, and then later, in D.C. He hadn't spent much time on the East Coast, and luckily he had already been to New York City. Then there was no temptation to take a little drive to see a certain someone, because he would be too far away for a little drive.

It also eliminated the possibility of sending a message to her phone number, which he, of course, still had, saying something stupid like, "Hey! I'm only two hours away. Want to get a drink?"

That was exactly the type of thing one of his clients would do when she was missing her ex-boyfriend, crush, or whoever Thorne was being hired to replace.

He had practically invented the 'do not contact' rule for exes.

Would Cress really be considered an ex, though?

He thanked the stars when they landed and all of his attention had to pool into how to put his new client at ease. He stopped in the bathroom to double check his appearance. He had packed everything he needed in his carry-on in case there was any luggage mishap. Not having the right clothes for a wedding could certainly make Kate uncomfortable. He ran a comb through his hair and splashed an extra dash of _Lady Luck_ on his collar.

With his jacket slung over his arm, he strolled out of the bathroom with renewed purpose. This was a dream job. Weddings were a piece of cake, literally. There was some dancing, alcohol, good food, a few annoying relatives, and a nice hotel room.

And this time, he wouldn't have to be in the same bed as anyone.

He wouldn't fall for anyone.

He would barely even need to kiss anyone.

Unless he wanted to kiss someone.

And then he was free to explore two awesome cities and make some new memories that didn't include Cress.

 _Aces and spades and stars!_ He was still thinking about her!

Thorne caught a glimpse of the woman who had been sitting next to him on the plane. She was bending over to drink from a water fountain ahead of him, and the view wasn't bad. He waited until she had straightened before he approached her.

"We meet again."

"Must be destiny," she said, grinning as though it were exactly that.

He let the line slip by with a gesture for them to keep walking. After all, he just wanted some company until he made it to Kate.

"I was actually hoping we would talk on the plane," she said.

Thorne nodded. "I was tired."

"Big plans?"

"I'm going to a wedding."

"A wedding? How lovely!"

Thorne gave her a charming grin.

He immediately regretted it when she added, "Need a date?"

"I'm actually meeting my date here. She's picking me up."

"Oh! I'm sorry."

Feeling a guilt that normally didn't befall him, he said, "My fault. I should have been more clear."

Looking hurt, she nodded and disappeared into the next women's bathroom. Luckily, she had accompanied him to the baggage claim, where Kate had said to meet at Exit 3. So he waited, taking a strategic seat near the exit where he couldn't be snuck up on.

He took in each woman that had "brown hair and brown eyes" and was around twenty-five years old. He was expecting someone who either looked a little too put together, or not put together at all. He also took out his contract and placed it face down on the seat next to him. It accomplished two tasks: one, reserve a seat for her so they could have a chat comfortably, and second, to make sure he didn't forget to go over the rules one more time and get her signature right away.

He forgot that he was waiting for Kate entirely when he recognized someone.

Two someones.

He turned in his chair discreetly, looking in the opposite direction of the exit. A bead of sweat rolled down his neck. What was this? The universe's way of telling him that Cress would haunt him forever? Or was it supposed to be a sign that he should call her after all?

And what the _stars_ were Cinder and Iko doing in Philadelphia?

"Carswell!"

 _Aces,_ they had spotted him. He called up a surprised smile. "Ladies! Fancy meeting you here."

Iko grinned and threw her arms around him. "You came! And you look fantastic. This is perfect. _Perfect_."

Behind her, Cinder refused to look at him. She had a certain air about her — it reminded him of how he had felt when he'd tricked the woman on the plane into walking with him.

Iko's words also sank in.

He pulled away. "Wait a minute. 'You came'?"

Iko beamed. "We took bets. And then our own flight was delayed, so we were worried we wouldn't make it before you did. But you're here, we're here, and I win the bet." She held her hand out to Cinder. "Pay up."

Thorne was still trying to catch up with her words. His eyes went from Iko, who was so excited she was now bouncing back and forth on her heels, to Cinder, who still refused to look at him. His eyes narrowed. "When you say, 'we were worried we wouldn't make it before you did'…"

"That's right," said Iko, almost giddy. "There's no Kate."

Thorne got to his feet.

Cinder groaned. "Great subtlety, Iko."

"How else were we supposed to get you out here?"

"Ohhh, no. No way." He set his jaw. Gripped the handlebar of his suitcase. Spun on his heels. "No effin' way."

He made it about ten steps before Iko was in front of him. "Wait! You haven't even heard us out."

"Told you," Cinder said.

"Heard you out? I had plenty of time to hear you out on the phone while you were pretending to be Kate. This is…" He didn't even know what it was. No wonder he had recognized Kate's voice. It had clearly been Iko.

"We have a contract," Cinder called behind him, but there was no conviction in her voice.

Thorne paused, and not only because he was almost crashing into Iko. Cinder held up the stack of papers he had placed on the seat next to him while waiting for "Kate."

He let go of his suitcase and snatched the contract out of her hands.

"I created a contract for someone named Kate. You two"—he pointed between Cinder and Iko—"are not Kate."

"I can if you want me to be," said Iko.

Thorne ripped up the contract. Iko gasped.

"There. Null and void."

He straightened his blazer, took a deep breath, and reclaimed his suitcase.

"You don't even know why we brought you here," said Cinder. "Aren't you even the least bit curious?"

"If you think that I'm going to go to Winter's wedding as someone's fake date just so Cress and I will 'coincidentally' show up in the same room again, you're delusional." He let out a laugh. "But you pretended to be a different person and flew me to Philadelphia. So, clearly, you're both on the delusional side."

Iko fisted her hands on her hips. "Excuse me? You pretend to be someone else for a living. We're just beating you at your own game."

"Well—"

"Wait a minute." Cinder made the time-out sign. "We're not going to Winter's wedding."

"We're—we're not?"

"Winter isn't getting married for months. And why would she get married in Philadelphia when both her and Jacin's families are in Minnesota?"

"I don't know!" Thorne said, rubbing his temple. "I'm the one who's being played for a fool here!"

"We're sorry," said Cinder.

Iko snorted. "We are not. It was a genius plan crafted by me. I have no problem owning up to that because this is going to work."

"And what is 'this' exactly?" Thorne said. "What are we doing in Philadelphia?"

"Well, we were originally going to get a ticket to New York…"

Thorne crossed his arms. "Mhm."

"But it turns out that on short notice, it's really hard to get a ticket to New York. Especially on Valentine's Day weekend. Newark was booked too, so Philadelphia was the closest major airport. Turns out Upstate New York can be as far as seven hours away from New York City. Who would've thought?" She shrugged as Thorne glared at her. "Anyway, not that many people wanted to go to Philadelphia this weekend. Maybe because it's called the City of Brotherly Love. Who wants to hang out with their brother on Valentine's Day, right?"

Cinder cleared her throat. "We're taking you to New York to see Cress, Thorne. By rental car."

"And she knows that I'm here with you? Cress? She knows you tricked me into coming to Philadelphia so that I can drive to New York with you to see her?"

"Um…"

"That's what I thought."

Thorne grabbed his suitcase and took off. He didn't know where to go, and found the Philadelphia airport one of the stupidest airports in the world. Several random hallways later, he was outside in the blistering cold. Granted, nothing was as blisteringly cold as Minnesota, but it was not a great day to be stuck outside.

His hands shook, but he didn't think it was from the cold.

He got in line for a cab. He didn't have anywhere to go, but the cab driver could probably recommend hotel. Then he could sightsee in Philadelphia this weekend and continue on his way to Baltimore and D.C. as scheduled.

He felt like such an idiot.

"Carswell."

Cinder and Iko had followed him.

Of course they had.

"Carswell, please," said Cinder. "We'll take you to lunch and explain. And we're obviously still going to pay you, even if you ripped up our contract." She pulled out a thick envelope. "$6,000, as you requested."

Thorne jumped out of line, nearly tripping over the rope. "What are you doing?" he hissed, putting his arms up and around Cinder and Iko. "You can't just announce that you have six grand. Someone's going to mug you out here!"

"Let them try," said Cinder with an eye roll, stuffing the envelope back in her jacket. "Now come on, let us buy you lunch."

"It's on Kai," Iko added.

Thorne looked at the cab line, which had filled up in his brief absence. He hadn't eaten on the plane because he hadn't felt like paying for food. He was supposed to be going to family get together in a few hours.

While it wasn't the family that he'd expected, there was no harm in going to lunch with Cinder and Iko, he supposed. He could get his bearings and figure out what he would do after that. He had enjoyed both Cinder and Iko's presence at the cabin, after all.

This didn't have to be about Cress.

"It's Thorne," he said, pushing his suitcase at them. "Let's eat."

Cinder reluctantly took his suitcase and led the way, taking them to a parking lot. As she loaded his suitcase into the trunk, she said, "Do you have a preference for the type of food?"

"Anywhere I can get a drink.' He tried to get into shotgun but took a seat in the back when Iko wagged a threatening finger at him.

It was silent as Cinder drove, with Thorne slumping in his seat and Iko taking directions from their rented GPS. He couldn't believe that he had talked himself into going out to lunch with Cress's cousins. This was exactly why he didn't want to hang out with Kai and Ze'ev, even if they were cool guys. Being in a car with Cinder and Iko brought up too many memories of being in a car with Sage and Cress, and then Winter, Jacin, and Cress. It was like the empty seat next to him had her name on it.

When they got on a highway with arrows that pointed in the direction of NEW YORK CITY, Thorne bolted up in his seat. "Wait!"

Cinder locked the car.

Iko turned around in her seat. "This is an intervention. Cinder and I flew all the way here from Minneapolis. We flew you all the way from Minneapolis. Do you really think we're going to waste our money taking you to lunch and then letting you get away? Consider yourself kidnapped and on the way to New York."

Thorne scowled and sank back in his seat. "You have to stop eventually. And when you do, I will inevitably overpower you and get out of this car."

"Look," Cinder said, "Iko is a drama queen. Don't listen to her. We just want to talk to you, and if you still decide you don't want $6,000 after that, we'll let you go. But according to the GPS, it's going to take us more than two hours to get to New York City because it's Friday and it's rush hour and as you can see"—she gestured around them—"this highway is a parking lot and we haven't even left Philadelphia yet. Iko and I are going to New York City no matter what, so we might as well talk to you while we drive."

"You're paying for my trip back to Philadelphia," Thorne said.

Iko shook her head at him, her blue braids bouncing against the seat. "You're not as hot when you're mad."

"Thanks."

She blew him a kiss. "I'm single now, you know."

"Iko," said Cinder.

"What happened to Liam?" asked Thorne.

"I dumped his sorry ass."

"Good for you."

"Iko, focus on Cress," said Cinder, then pressed on her horn. "Get in your lane!" she yelled at a car.

Iko grinned, still looking back at him. "As you know from some of the men in our family, we took care of Levana and Sybil. Cress' parents don't know that she hired you, and it's going to stay that way. But by the time we orchestrated that, it was too late. Cress was moving to New York the next day."

"So what part of 'too late' do the two of you not get?" Thorne grumbled. After a moment, he added, "Thanks for taking care of the evil aunts. I've been worried about Cress."

"So have we," said Cinder.

"Yes…," said Iko, frowning for the first time. "We didn't know that Cress felt so ostracized by our family. Winter filled us in on what happened with you and—"

"That bitch."

"Cress?" said Iko.

"No," said Thorne. "Winter. If Cress confided in Winter, why did she have to tell all of you?"

"Because it concerns all of us," said Iko defensively. "And I'm the one who figured out how to take down Sybil and Levana. Winter wanted to help her sister but couldn't figure out a plan on her own."

"She's still on my—" Thorne bit his tongue. "Where is she, anyway? Winter?"

Iko and Cinder exchanged a look. "Things didn't end on the best note between them. Winter thought it best if we came alone."

"Why the two of you?"

"What?" said Iko. "We can't have a girls' weekend in NYC?"

"If I'm with you, it's not a girls' weekend."

Cinder sighed and switched lanes. "Scarlet and Ze'ev have an appointment for the baby on Monday and didn't want to risk getting delayed on the way back."

"Jacin's not going because Winter's not going," Iko continued, "and Kai…well, he wanted to come but Cinder and I decided to look for a wedding dress in New York!"

"You decided," Cinder corrected.

"So, of course, Kai isn't going to come!" Iko finished.

Thorne had to smile as Cinder grimaced in the rearview mirror.

"Plus, you're expensive, Carswell!"

"Thorne."

"Right, Thorne. So here we are, just the two of us in New York for the weekend."

"We love Cress, we really do," said Cinder. "We feel bad that we haven't shown her that."

"And since she's all the way out here, we thought we'd send the love to her!" Iko beamed. "In the form of you!"

Thorne groaned.

"And what a nice form you have, _Captain_." Iko giggled and covered her mouth.

Thorne looked away. It was too bizarre having people know what he did for a living and then calling him out on it. And while a compliment never hurt, he was still annoyed that they had tricked him into coming here.

"No, listen, Thorne," said Cinder, "it's all going to work out. Everyone thought you and Cress were great together."

"Because we were _faking_ it."

"You were not! Not the whole time. We could tell. We can tell _now_."

Thorne didn't say anything.

"For you to earn your $6,000," Iko continued, "all we want you to do is meet with Cress. Talk. See how it goes. See what develops from there."

"Not happening."

He stared out the window.

Neither of the girls said anything for a while.

"Is that the problem, then?" Iko said, suddenly not so chirpy anymore. She stared at him with round, sad eyes. "You really don't love Cress after all? You don't even want to give it a shot?"

"The problem isn't me," he said to the window. Something heavy pressed against his chest but he ignored it. "Your surprise may come out of good intentions, but you clearly don't know Cress at all."

"Why not?" said Iko.

"Cress won't appreciate being surprised. She's going to act like she's excited to see you but really she'll want to disappear. And then, even worse, you're bringing me. What do you want me to say to her? I'm the one who wanted something more with Cress. She—" He shook his head. Cleared his throat. "She gave up. I'm over it."

"You don't sound over it."

"Yeah, well…you're holding me in a car against my will."

"So what you're saying is…," Iko said slowly, "maybe we should have flown Cress to you instead?"

Thorne finally looked at her. He shrugged and shifted, uncomfortable under her scrutiny. "All I'm saying is, a surprise _plus_ the guy she doesn't want to be with? Who you're _paying_ to visit her? I wish you would have consulted me first. I could have saved all of us a trip."

Iko drew back into her seat and sighed heavily. Thorne watched the red lights of the cars around them go on and off. They had barely moved at all. Maybe he should just jump out of the car here and hitch a ride back to the airport.

"Sorry we didn't ask you first," Cinder said. "We didn't know that you and Cress had already had a chance to talk things through."

"You weren't at the goodbye party we threw her, though," Iko said firmly. "We asked about you. I don't think Cress was being honest about her feelings."

"Yeah, not being honest seems to be Cress's specialty," he said bitterly, remembering how she'd dropped the New York bomb on him after a perfect night together.

Still, a little bit of hope tugged at his heart at Cinder's words.

But hope made him feel worse about the entire situation. He had allowed himself to hope twice with Cress already. He wouldn't give himself a third chance to get shot down again.

Cress had moved to New York to get away from it all.

That included him.

"I'm sorry that we pushed you," Cinder said.

"You could come dress shopping with us tomorrow," Iko added.

"I think I'll pass."

"At least come to New York with us. We already paid for a room and everything."

At that, Thorne perked up. "You mean, you weren't counting on me staying at Cress's?"

"A girl can hope," said Iko, "but that seemed a little _too_ perfect, even for us. We got you a hotel room."

"A separate room?"

"Like we wanna share a room with you," Cinder said.

"For the record, I would," said Iko.

Thorne considered this development. He needed a place to spend the night anyway. He was stuck in this car until they at least got out of traffic. In a city of 8.5 million people, there was no way he'd run into Cress unless he made it happen himself. It was just one night, after all.

But one night could change everything.

He knew this far too well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I know it's been a few weeks since I updated. I've been working really hard to get my original novel ready for submission to Pitch Wars this the last month. But I turned it in on Wednesday (wish me luck! it's a competition) and plan on dedicating time over the next few weeks to update my fanfics. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and are getting excited about the next one! *heart eyes* Thanks for your continued support of this fic. Love you guys!


	36. Chapter 36

With Cress's new job, Fridays were the worst. Unlike people with normal hours, Mondays actually relaxed her. The opening nights were over, the largest crowds had gone back to whatever city they had come to New York from, and Cress had Tuesday and Wednesday off.

This Friday, as if she didn't have enough to worry about, Cinder had sent her a text message saying that she was on her way to New York with Iko.

 _No pressure_ , the text said. _Iko is taking me dress shopping for the weekend. If I have my way, it'll be max one hour. If you're not working, do you want to join us?_

It was a nice message, but Cress didn't understand why her cousins couldn't have messaged her about this when they had booked their tickets. But perhaps, she considered, Iko had had to trick Cinder into coming, so it had been more last minute.

Still, it would have been nice to have gotten a heads up at least before they boarded the plane.

No one had visited her in New York yet, and she was just starting to settle into a routine. It seemed odd to imagine anyone in her family as part of this completely new setting. But her cousins visiting her was infinitely better than a surprise visit from Winter and Jacin. She hadn't spoken with Jacin once since she'd moved, and her interactions with Winter had amounted to two brief phone calls.

"Hey Cress, you got a sec?" said Arol.

Cress pocketed her phone. "Sure, what's up?"

"I'm really sorry, but I think I messed up one of the lighting cues for the third act. I tried to fix it on my own, but…" He looked at his feat, clearly ashamed.

"That's okay," said Cress. "I'm sure I can get it going before we start."

"Thanks," he said, brushing his bangs off his face. "You're an angel. Calista's face is so red that I think she might have a heart attack…or fire me."

"Well," she said with a smile, "let's see if we can't change that."

Cress followed Arol with a sense of purpose. She had solved several problems for Calista already, who was the technical director Cress worked with for most productions. Cress was hoping to have her job some day: working collaboratively with the scenic designer for the execution of the scenic elements of productions. She had already learned so much from Calista in the two months since she'd started her new job.

She had also learned that if she wanted to move up, she would have to deal with Calista's flare for drama. And not in the theater sense. Calista lived off making people feel like the world would end if any small bit of her design set up wasn't working exactly to her liking.

But Cress had always been a bit of a perfectionist, and she didn't mind drama as long as it was someone else's drama.

"Do you want to go out tonight after the production?" Arol asked as they hurried backstage. "That is, if I'm still working here by then."

Cress shook her head. "I'm not sure. My cousin just texted me and said she's in town from Minnesota. I was thinking I might meet them for an early breakfast before coming in to work tomorrow."

Arol shot her a look. "How early?"

"Too early, especially if I go out with you and Dave tonight."

"Aww, okay. Dave misses you, though. He told me specifically to invite you tonight."

Cress smiled. "Tell Dave he can spend some quality time with his boyfriend for once. I need to sleep."

"Hey, you could invite your cousins out with us. They can get the authentic New York experience all the tourists are looking for."

"Arol, I don't even think _I_ know what the authentic New York experience is yet."

He raised an eyebrow and gestured around. "You mean working 70 hours a week, making barely any money, living in Queens when you want to be in the Upper East Side? Honey, you're living the New York dream." He winked at her.

She rolled her eyes as she reached the main lighting booth. "I like Queens. Now, let's see what's going on here. Tell me exactly what you were doing when it stopped working."

* * *

The next morning, Cress snoozed her alarm as long as possible. She was meeting Cinder and Iko at a café by their hotel, which was, of course, in Manhattan. A part of her wanted to go dress shopping with them, but she was worried being on her feet all morning would make her eyes droop at work that night. She was getting used to sleeping in until ten every morning after coming home around 1:00 or 2:00 am.

She put on a cute pair of skinny jeans and a mustard yellow crop top sweater that hung slightly off one shoulder. She straightened her hair and added a touch more make up than usual. She had been trying to go with just the basics since she'd moved to New York, but with Iko around, there would surely be selfies involved.

She felt a little better on the inside these days, and she wanted to make sure it showed on the outside too.

As she got on the hour-long train to take her to Manhattan, an uncomfortable feeling of nerves almost overwhelmed her. That feeling had been her constant friend in Minneapolis for more than a year. Nowadays, she only felt a hit of butterflies whenever she spotted a handsome stranger that reminded her of Thorne.

She pulled her coat around her more tightly, even though it was warm on the train. She took deep breaths. This was why she had left Minnesota. To start over, and to get rid of that anxious feeling that had long plagued her. She wasn't the most successful theater technology production designer yet, but she was on her way to making something of herself. Something that was solely hers. Here, she was seen for her own merits, rather than in comparison to her sister. She was on the way to becoming what she had always wanted to be.

For now, she focused on remembering that she loved Cinder and Iko, and that it wasn't their fault that she had a warped perception of her family dynamics growing up. She was here for a casual breakfast with her cousins, who were in town visiting, and she had no reason to feel nervous.

The café was actually attached to the hotel, which was less up-scale than Cress had imagined. Kai had always had so much money, so she appreciated that Cinder didn't feel the need to overspend when a modest hotel would do. And in the middle of Manhattan, she doubted _modest_ was the same definition Cress held of the word anyway.

By the time she made it through the door, she was sweating inside her coat, and had to loosen the buttons as she waited to get through the line forming by the register. She fluffed her hair a little and, taking a deep breath, pushed her way through the customers to find her cousins.

She spotted Iko and her blue braids first.

"Iko! Cinder!"

The girls looked up, almost startled to see her. Cress waved shyly as she approached them, but it was hard to stop herself from grinning.

Iko jumped up to hug her. "Cress! Hey! You look fantastic!"

"Thanks." Cress hugged Iko, then Cinder. "Congrats on dress shopping." She winked at Iko behind Cinder's back. "That must be so exciting for you."

Cinder shuddered as they took a seat. "Don't even bring it up. It hasn't started yet, so I can live in denial for at least another hour."

"I'm sure it'll be fun," Cress said.

"See?" said Iko. "Cress knows. She's great at shopping too."

"Anyway," said Cress. "What's good here?"

"Possibly nothing," said Iko.

"Our hotel was _fine_ ," said Cinder. "And look at how many people are in line to order."

"Personally, based on the reviews, I was expecting palm trees and red carpets," said Iko.

"Well, I already had a coffee at home," said Cress, "but I could certainly go for some breakfast." She browsed the menu as they got in line too. "Maybe I'll have a chocolate croissant."

"I think I'll have a New York bagel," Iko said.

Cinder nodded. "Me too. Are they as good as everyone says, Cress?"

Cress smiled to herself as she thought of all the bagels that she had eaten in the first month of being in New York – with cream cheese, with lox, with deli meat, even plain ones. She had eaten so many of them that she was barely able to look at a bagel anymore. "Even better. They don't even compare to Bruegger's."

"Well, those are supposed to be New York style bagels," Iko pointed out.

"These are better, I'm sure of it," Cress said confidently.

When they had ordered, the three of them took a seat by the window. Cress told them about her new job and her friend Arol, who she had gotten to know on the job. She filled them in about her roommates in Astoria, and what it was like to live in Queens.

"You have two guy roommates?" Iko said.

"Two guys and a girl. I'm the second girl, so it's even."

"Obviously," Iko said, making Cress blush. "Are either of the guys single?"

"Julian is," said Cress, polishing up the last bite of her croissant.

"Oh!" said Cinder, leaning forward as though she were as curious as Iko. "Do you like him?"

"He's my roommate, Cinder."

"Romances can start anywhere," Iko said. "Look what happened with you and Thorne."

" _Iko_ ," said Cinder sharply.

Cress looked at her lap. She had been waiting for the topic of Thorne to come up. "It's okay. That's over and no, I don't like Julian. He's a really nice guy and I'm glad to have good roommates. We have community dinner sometimes and I think we're all going to be good friends."

"That's a relief," Cinder said. "Nothing worse than having bad roommates."

"Or neighbors," Iko added. She exchanged a look with Cinder, then raised a pointed eyebrow at Cress. "But while we're on the topic, we were curious about Thorne. Have you been in contact with him at all since you left?"

Cress looked out the window. "No."

She still had his number, though she didn't know why. Their last conversation together replayed in her mind whenever she felt particularly lonely, or whenever her eyes played tricks on her. Just the other day, she thought she'd seen him at the reception after one of her productions.

It had taken her several weeks to get used to seeing cabs without thinking of him — a big problem for moving on when cabs were everywhere in New York. Her mind always went back to New Year's Eve. Seeing him at Winter's party. Finding out the truth in the bathroom. Running out of the club. Confessions and kisses in the cab. Taking him home with her.

So much had happened between them that night. Though alcohol had hazed her memory a bit, it had still been one of the best nights of her life. She had never felt more loved, more wanted.

On the days that she imagined seeing him in New York, she went to sleep thinking of him and woke up missing him beside her.

Cress had tried to let go of regret when she'd moved to New York. Regret had no place when one was starting over – that was the point. New beginnings meant no regrets.

No looking back.

"Do you…think about him at all?"

Cress's eyes snapped back to Iko. "I never got the chance to really think you guys for taking care of Sybil and Levana. I wish Thorne well, and I know getting rid of that video footage makes it easier for him just like it makes it easier for me. I'm really thankful that you didn't tell my parents, either."

"They don't need to know," Cinder said. "And we've all done things we regret, right?"

"Especially in the name of love," Iko said.

"Right…but hiring a guy to pretend to be your date?" Cress shook her head. She tried not to squirm in her chair. "That's pretty pathetic."

Cinder waved her hand. "I recently saw a movie where a guy pretends that a life-sized _doll_ is his real-life girlfriend. You're not even close to pathetic, Cress. It's just…unconventional."

"Thanks for being so nice about it. Can we talk about something else, though?"

Iko said, "But you guys were so cute together! Didn't you want to try dating for real?"

"Iko, even you wouldn't want to date a guy who dates women as his job."

Cinder and Iko fell silent as guilt washed over Cress. His job had never been what had really kept them apart, even though she liked to use it as an excuse.

She watched everyone walking past the café with purpose, going about their busy Saturday mornings. Many of them were coupled up. It was Valentine's Day weekend, after all. Many of these people were probably here to celebrate their love. New York was magical that way.

Her heart leapt into her throat when she thought she saw Thorne again, this time coming out of the hotel. She closed her eyes and pictured the real him, then tried to push the thought away. Her runaway imagination wasn't helpful in situations like this, when she was trying to convince herself that she was over him.

"Shit," Cinder hissed.

"What?" Cress said, turning away from the window.

"Nothing!" Iko said quickly, grabbing Cress's hand. "We just forgot to tell you that — that – "

"That we're so happy to be here!" Cinder said, putting her hand on top of Iko's.

"Yes!" said Iko. "We are—"

Cinder and Iko's eyes flew to the door of the café. Cress heard it jingling just as she'd heard it jingle every time someone had walked in. She turned. "Wha—"

"It's nothing!" Iko said, yanking Cress back to face them. "There's just this—"

"—creepy guy—"

"—who is looking at Cinder weird."

"In fact, we should probably duck so he doesn't—"

"Morning, ladies!" said a cheery male voice that made Cress's throat dry up. "Tell me, is breakfast included—"

But his words were cut off as Cinder and Iko both gasped.

The male voice swore.

Cress froze in her chair.

"Sorry," Cinder whispered.

"We meant well," Iko said.

"Cress?"

It was Thorne. Thorne was in the café, standing behind her. Addressing her.

She closed her eyes again. She wasn't imagining Thorne's presence this time, she was sure of it. Which meant she had seen him for real outside the window only moments ago.

He was in New York.

Had he been in New York all this time?

Had she really seen him all those other times too?

As Iko and Cinder let go of her hand, Cress almost panicked. The horrible butterflies in her stomach were back on overdrive. Her cousins let her turn fully this time.

Thorne stood a few feet away from their table. He wore pressed slacks, a gray pea coat, and a stunned expression in his eyes that matched the color of his scarf. He was as gorgeous as she remembered, and it was just as painful to see him now as the last time they'd been together.

He concealed his shock at seeing her more quickly than she did. A carefree, almost nonchalant expression was quickly plastered on his face.

"Thorne, hi!" she squeaked out. It sounded way too enthusiastic and false. But her mortification simmered as her mind caught up with something her cousins had said. She looked between Thorne and them. "Wait a minute, why do the three of you not look surprised at seeing each other? And what did you mean just now when you said, ' _sorry, we meant well'_?"

Cinder's face grew guilty. Iko fidgeted in her seat.

But it was Thorne who spoke first. "You're kidding me." He swore again. "You didn't tell her, did you?"

"T-tell me what?" said Cress. "That you moved to New York? That you've been here all along?"

"No." Thorne's eyes grew hard. "After everything I told you last night," he said to Cinder and Iko, "I really thought you guys would be more decent. Thanks a lot for ambushing both of us." He spun on his heels.

"We didn't set this up!" Iko called after him. "We figured you would sleep in until at least ten! You said you weren't a morning person!"

Thorne kept right on walking and left the café.

Cress jumped up and pressed her face to the glass, still catching up with the fact that Thorne was actually here in New York. He stormed back into the hotel.

"What's happening?" Cress said. "What was he saying about last night?"

"Um." Cinder swallowed. "We sort of hired Thorne to come here and win you back."

"What?!"

"There were a lot of flaws in this plan," Cinder said quickly.

"Which Thorne pointed out to us last night when we kidnapped him from the Philadelphia airport," Iko added.

"It was all Iko's idea," Cinder said.

Iko glared at Cinder. "All the cousins were in on it! We didn't know that you didn't really love him. That's what happens when you don't communicate with us."

Cress held up her hands. "You _hired_ Thorne…to win me back?"

"Yes," they chorused.

"And he came?"

"We may have lied to him and told him that we were named Kate and attending a wedding in Philadelphia for which we needed his services."

Cinder coughed. "I told you it wasn't the best plan."

Cress stared at them, unable to form words.

"Clearly, he recognized us when we met him at the airport. He didn't want to come, so we forced him to come to New York anyway. He told us how you had already broken it off while we were driving here." Cinder rubbed her temple. "I realize this all sounds crazy, but we had already paid for a hotel room for him and didn't feel like driving back to Philadelphia, so we hung out with him last night and—"

"He's so sweet, Cress," Iko said. "Cute too. You should really—"

"We didn't plan on him waking up so early," Cinder said, silencing Iko with a look. "It was stupid to meet you here, but we really thought we'd be gone by nine. And then neither of you would have to see the other again, just as you wanted."

Cress forced her jaw to work. "He didn't want to come." She sank back in her seat. "He didn't want to come and you forced him."

Cinder cringed.

Iko patted Cress's hand. "You clearly hurt him, sweetie. Would you want to see someone who dumped you?"

"He said I dumped him?"

"He told us everything," Iko said.

"He—he did?"

"Well, he told us enough." Cinder shrugged. "He didn't have to say that much for us to know that there's still something there."

"And we'd _love_ to hear more," Iko added.

Cress bit her lip. "Do you think...um, I should go talk to him?"

Iko's eager grin turned skeptical. "Are you going to be mean to him?"

Cinder rolled her eyes. "Iko has pretty much adopted Thorne as her new son/crush. She's very protective of him."

"Son/crush," Cress echoed. "That sounds serious."

"Of course you should talk to him," Cinder said.

"And then kiss him," Iko said. "Or I will."

Cinder gave her an apologetic look. "We did pay six thousand dollars to get him here."

"$6,000!? That's way overpriced, even for Thorne."

"Look," said Cinder, "we just wanted a way to get you two back in the same room. We didn't know that there was more to the story. If you don't feel comfortable talking to him, then don't. But if you think there might be a chance that you still have some feelings for him, why not go?"

"Because he lives in Minnesota."

"If he makes $6,000 per weekend, he can probably afford to fly out and see you from time to time."

"Because he dates other women for his job," Cress repeated.

"So ask him to give it up!" Iko said. "None of the reasons you're giving have to do with what you feel about him."

"Feelings aren't always enough," Cress hedged.

"Well it's a perfectly good start," Iko said. "If that boy didn't care about you, he wouldn't have run out of the café. If you don't know what he's willing to do for you —"

"—or give up for you—" Cinder added.

"—then how can you know if you're making the right choice?" Iko finished. "Or do you really not care for him?"

"That would be totally fine too," Cinder said. "We can just sit here and pretend like he never showed up."

"No, no," Cress said, already regretting her words. She did want to see him...didn't she? "He flew all the way out here because you guys duped him. I should...at least say hello."

She could also pretend like she was going to say hello and then simply get on the train and not come back. That was a great plan too.

But Iko squealed and pulled a card out of her purse. "Here's his room key. He's in 712."

Cinder gaped at the key. "How do you have that, Iko?"

Iko shrugged and pushed the card across the table to Cress. "We paid for the room, so the concierge was happy to make me a copy."

"And why did you need a copy, Iko?"

"For situations like this, of course." She winked at Cress. "I'm happy to take the _crush_ out of son/crush, but only for you Cress. Thorne is adorable but he's even more adorable when he's with you."

"Um, thanks, Iko," said Cress.

"Don't make my baby cry."

"Iko," said Cinder.

Cress was more worried that Thorne would make her cry, but she didn't say anything. _Thorne was here in New York_. Against his will, yes, but her feet were already moving out of the café as she gripped his room key with all her might. She stepped into the crisp air and realized she'd completely forgotten about her coat.

She hurried up the steps to the hotel anyway. Cinder and Iko could grab it for her. It would be worse if Thorne left before she got a chance to catch up with him. And if she went back, she might lose her nerve.

They hadn't gotten a proper goodbye in Minnesota. She had made mistakes with Thorne – led him on, even, by asking him to stay over. It was her fault he was upset. But he also left before she'd had a chance to explain herself.

_Stars, was she really going after him?_

New beginnings meant no regrets. Things were different now. She hadn't just found out that Jacin and Winter knew her secret. She had already moved to New York. She was less emotional and wouldn't make rash decisions.

This was a chance at reconciliation, at apologizing to the one person she'd never wanted to hurt.

No regrets.

Her newfound courage faltered when she stood in front of Room 712.

She pressed her ear against the door. Not a sound came from the other end. Maybe he had already left. Maybe it was a sign she should leave.

She knocked anyway.

"I'm not speaking to you," Thorne called. "And I don't care whose plan it was this time. Both of you are complicit and you should be _ashamed_ —"

He threw open the door and stopped talking as soon as he saw Cress.

She swallowed. "Hi."

Thorne's eyes were still hard. He looked like he might slam the door in her face.

She put her hand on the door. "Can I come in?"

Thorne looked over his shoulder as though someone were in the room with him. Cress tried to peer past him, dread washing over her. _Stars_. What if he _did_ have a girl there? He didn't need to pretend to be interested in anyone now, and she didn't really know what his dating habits were these days. He'd been out looking for someone when she'd found him at the party. Maybe he'd met someone after he'd hung out with Cinder and Iko.

Maybe she was so, so stupid.

Maybe she deserved it.

"I guess," he said, letting go of the door and trudging back into his room. "If you make it quick."

Cress thought about running away again. He certainly wasn't excited to see her at all. She didn't know why she had expected him to be. He hadn't been enthusiastic at all about her presence at the café.

But the thought of seeing his face again in New York and it not really being him made her heart sting in a way that it hadn't since Minnesota.

Since she'd watched him leave her apartment.

Cress stepped into his room and shut the door behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CRESSWELL REUNION UP NEXT! Who's ready?!
> 
> PS: Arol and Calista are from After Sunshine Passes By


	37. Chapter 37

Cress walked into his room feeling like she might throw up. Thorne stood by the window, his hands stuffed in his pockets. He faced the window like he couldn't be bothered by her presence. She stopped, unsure of how close was too close for either of them, keeping the bed between them.

She glanced at it and blushed. It was completely unmade, with half the sheets on the floor, and what looked like a pair of boxers tangled into one of them. It was so immediately intimate—the way their relationship had always been. A forced closeness between two strangers right from the start.

At least she didn't need pepper spray this time.

"Sorry about my cousins," she said. "They told me what they did." She laughed awkwardly and twirled her hair around her finger. "I bet you're pretty sick of me and my family by now."

He was silent for a moment.

"I got my six grand, so it's all the same to me."

"Oh. Of course."

Thorne turned around, his hands still in his pockets. His blue eyes took her in. "You look good, Cress. Real good."

"Thank you." He looked really good too, but Cress was too afraid she might say the wrong thing.

"How's your new job?"

"Really crazy hours, but good. I'm learning a lot."

"You happy here?"

"I'm getting there."

"Happier than in Minnesota, at least?"

She nodded.

"That's great." It sounded like he meant it, even if he would barely look at her. "Found a guy yet?"

"No." Her cheeks grew warm. "You say that like it's easy."

He shrugged.

"How are you, Thorne?"

"Just dandy."

"Business must be great if you're able to charge $6,000 now."

"It is what it is."

Cress swallowed as an uncomfortable silence blanketed the room. She had never heard Thorne mutter so few words. She remembered their car ride to the cabin together and how his easy conversation had filled up their time. She had always been the shy one between them, but it seemed like she might have to take charge of the conversation now. She tried to remember how she had felt only a few moments ago, knowing that she might never see him again.

The new and improved New York Cress—at least, the version that she wanted to be—would be brave. She owed him that as much as she owed it to herself.

"I don't like the way we left things," she said, taking a step closer. She could smell his Lady Luck cologne now, and she had to resist closing her eyes and inhaling. "I know I hurt you."

His expression clouded over.

"I'm so sorry. You were the last person that I ever wanted to hurt."

He kicked at the bedpost, his eyes on the ground. "I've completely forgotten about it."

She took another step toward him. "You have?"

"It was two months ago, Cress. We were drunk."

"No, we weren't. Maybe I was on New Year's Eve, but the next morning, when we talked? When you said you —"

"Why do you always do this, Cress? Why do you always have to analyze every little thing and worry about it until it eats you up inside? I'm _fine_. I'm six thousand dollars richer and got a free trip to New York. So you can stop worrying about me."

"Is that really all you care about? The money?"

"That's all you think I care about."

She drew back. "I never said that."

"You didn't have to. I saw it all over your face on New Year's Day." He looked away. "It was the same expression you wore pretty much the whole weekend you spent with me anyway."

"What expression?"

"Nevermind. I don't want to fight."

Sucking in a breath, Cress strode across the carpet and closed the space between them. It was hard to look up at him without paling, but she set her jaw. " _What expression_ , Thorne?"

Since he was a good foot taller than her, it was easy for him to just look over her head and not make eye contact. He let out a breath through his nose. "It was disgust, okay?"

"Disgust?"

"Aces, Cress. Yes, disgust. So I don't need you to explain yourself because I already understand why you didn't want to be with me. I get it. Can we move on? Or was there something else you wanted?"

The advantage of spending so much time together in a short period of time was that it had been easy to learn a lot of Thorne's quirks and expressions. Half the time, she hadn't been sure if Thorne was acting or not. But towards the end of their brief romance, Cress had gotten a glimpse of the real Carswell Thorne. And looking at the real Carswell Thorne who stood in front of her now, she had to believe that he was just hurt, and that was why he was being so abrupt. It was breaking her heart, but maybe that was a good reality check.

"Yes," she said firmly, "there was something else that I wanted."

Thorne sighed and took a seat on the edge of the bed. "Then get to it. I've got somewhere I need to be."

His blasé attitude was still throwing her off, but she tried to pull some courage from deep within her. She had to tell him what she had kept to herself for the last two months. Truth was something that she really wanted to work on, and he deserved to know the truth.

"I wasn't disgusted by you, Thorne."

He played with the corner of his sheets but didn't look at her.

"I was disgusted by me."

"For being with me, a guy who dates women professionally."

"No! It wasn't about that. I was ashamed of how I lied just so I wouldn't have to tell Winter and Jacin how they had hurt me. And then it spiraled into this entire plot to scam my family and kept getting worse. When I originally hired you, I didn't think of it that way. I thought of myself as this damsel in distress who needed to be rescued from her life. But it took a weekend with you to realize that I was lying to myself more than I was lying to my family. I didn't want to keep going in this pattern of dishonest behavior. I didn't like who I'd become. I had to get away—so that's what I did. I'm trying to learn to love myself here so that I don't have to go back to hiding everything inside and lying as a result. I'm trying to be a better person here, and that includes telling the truth, which is what I'm trying to do now."

"So you're not pretending right now?"

She shook her head.

"And not hiding anything?"

"No."

"And no one's blackmailing you?"

A small smile formed on her lips. "Definitely not."

His eyes narrowed, but at least he was looking at her. "Then tell me to my face that my job didn't bother you."

She bit her lip. "It bothered me—"

"See?"

"Would you let me finish, please?"

He sighed. "Fine."

"It bothered me but not because I was disgusted by you. I didn't want to be just another one of your girls. If we were together, I'd want all of you. I know myself and I'm too jealous to think of you kissing other girls, even if it was just professionally. Knowing what happened between us when I was just your client, I wouldn't be able to trust that nothing else would happen."

"I told you, if we were together, I would never cheat on you."

She put her hands on her hips. "It's not about cheating. How would you like it if you were dating someone and she spent every day in the arms of another man?"

He scoffed. "You didn't even give me a chance, Cress. I knew it wasn't an optimal occupation for someone in a relationship. Maybe things could have been different with my job if you had asked. Maybe I would've had a brilliant plan."

Hope filled her lungs. This was the conversation that she had wanted to have in her apartment in Minneapolis, but had never gotten the chance. She had thought of a hundred things she would've said differently to keep him from running away. But that was in the past, and she had needed to let him go. She just hadn't wanted him to go like that.

"I was moving," she said softly.

"Yeah."

"Thorne…" Cress approached him but he didn't flinch. He sat there with a bored expression as she shuffled between his legs so she could really get his attention. It was too close, but still too distant between them. She knew she was taking a risk, but she had to make him see.

Had to make him understand.

With him sitting on the edge of the bed, his face was at the same height as hers. He tensed as she took his face in her hands and forced him to look at her. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you how I felt that morning. When you told me you loved me, I freaked out."

Thorne's hands came up to remove hers. "Cress…"

"I freaked out because I thought I was falling in love with you too." She dropped her hands, her body shaking. She stayed where she was, though, as Thorne didn't make any move to get away. "I wanted to ask you to give up your job and give our relationship a shot."

His eyes were intense as he stared at her. "But you didn't. That's what counts here, Cress."

"I couldn't," she said, a tear escaping down her cheek. "I had to go to New York. I finally had a job I wanted and a real opportunity to start over. That was more important to me at the time than anything. Rearranging my life for a guy was what got me into this mess in the first place, and I didn't want to make this decision based on a guy too. I couldn't risk giving up New York because I was falling in love with you. Because for you…I would have."

She wiped at her tear, a fresh one already forming.

Thorne said nothing.

"Well, that's what I wanted to tell you. I hope I…I haven't taken up too much of your time this morning. I'm very sorry for how things ended between us and that I wasn't brave enough to tell you the truth."

She leaned forward and meant to press a quick kiss to his cheek, but lingered against his skin a little too long. She closed her eyes, remembering everything they had been through. Every touch, every word exchanged, every laugh. "Thank you for loving me," she whispered. "Thank you for showing me how to love myself."

She stepped away from him and left quickly, her breathing a bit erratic. But she had done it. She had been honest and explained herself. She hoped that someday he would forgive her for choosing herself over him.

"Cress."

She paused in the doorway, her heart nearly stopping. This part, where she had to awkwardly discuss what she had just said, had not been a part of her poorly thought out plan. Then again, what plan had she had? She hadn't even known he was in New York until a few minutes ago. All the theater productions she was watching lately had to be clouding her senses.

She turned, but kept her hand on the door in case she needed to run away. Truth was one thing. More than one confrontation in a matter of minutes was another thing entirely.

Thorne approached her, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Y-Yes?" she said.

"Are you telling me that you loved me?"

She blinked. Had her declaration been that unclear? "Yes. I mean, I think so. I think I love you now too but how can anyone really be sure of anything," she stammered. "You're in the business of love so you must know that these things are complicated and probably never 100% certain but —"

He laughed, and his beautiful smile dimpled his cheeks. Cress's heart warmed and hurt at the same time.

"Thanks for finally telling me."

"You're welcome?"

"Did you say you have a crazy job?" Thorne asked.

"Um…," she said, surprised by the change in topic. "Mostly it's crazy hours. I have to work tonight, for example. I don't get home until two in the morning sometimes. I just have to get used to the schedule."

"I see. That must get lonely."

"Surprisingly, I feel less lonely here than I did in Minneapolis."

He full-on smirked and moved closer—so close that she could see the way his eyes twinkled with a newfound joy. His cologne hung over her. "That's not what I meant."

"O-Oh?" She had wanted his closeness earlier, but found that it was overwhelming her now with so many different emotions. She had never stood in front of him without any secrets between them. And though it was comforting in some way, she also felt bare in front of him.

"Yeah," he said. "All those nights, working late. Not having someone at home, waiting for you to get back. No one to rub your tired feet after running around kicking ass on Broadway."

She giggled nervously. "I'm not really on Broadway. Behind it, more like it."

"No one to kiss you goodnight. No one to cuddle up to after a long day." He pulled her into the room and shut the door, cornering her against it. "That must get lonely."

He gazed down at her, his eyes so dark and heady that it made her toes curl.

"Well," she said, trying not to squirm—trying not to hope—"I wouldn't just want anyone at home waiting for me."

He inched closer. "No?"

"No. You've set incredibly high standards, I must admit."

His eyes dipped to her lips. "Delighted to hear that, sweetheart."

"Are you, um..." She gulped. "Are you interested in...helping me be less lonely?"

"If you need to ask, then I'm not that great of a teacher after all."

"What do you mean?"

"What did I tell you about eye contact?"

She racked her brain. It was hard to think with all the eye contact he was currently engaging her in. "Um…that it's super important?"

He nodded slowly, his gaze flickering between her eyes and her lips. "What else?"

She caught on, her heart somersaulting. The words he'd said at the cabin tumbled out of her. "That…you're looking at me this way because you want me. You want me so bad it's…it's consuming you. All you can think about is how you need to have my lips on yours."

His thumb caressed her lip. "My eyes keep dipping down to your lips because I'm ready to kiss you. That's how— "

"That's how you'll know."

He grinned. "Are you ready to kiss me…Cress?"

She hesitated, and for a moment, his confident grin slipped. "I want to, but…" She closed her eyes. "The last time, we both got hurt. I made a brash decision and though it was a wonderful night, all I did was hurt you."

Thorne stroked her cheek. "You just told me you loved me. Consider me bulletproof, sweetheart."

She leaned into his touch. "But I live in New York…"

"That is unfortunate, but I did have a brilliant plan you never asked me about."

"Tell me."

"It's a rough plan with only a little bit of brilliance, if you must know."

"Tell me anyway."

"Can I have an encouraging kiss?"

She bit her lip. "I'm afraid once I start kissing you, I'll never stop."

"That doesn't sound so bad."

"I think we should talk first."

He pouted, but then wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her close. "Okay. My plan involves selling my house and moving to New York."

Cress gasped. "You'd move to New York? To be with me? Wait! Are you planning on _moving in with me_?"

"You say that as though it's the worst thing imaginable. We've already lived together for"—his voice dropped to a stage whisper—"an entire weekend."

She giggled, but then turned serious. "It's just…so soon. I don't know if I'm ready to live with you, honestly."

He nodded. "I thought you might say that. And as much as I think I'm in love you, I share your concerns. So—"

"Wait. Say that again."

"Which part?"

"That you're in love with me."

"Oh." He beamed. "I love you, Cress Darnel. A little too much, I think. I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. It's been the most frustrating two months of my life without you."

"I love you too, Thorne."

"Carswell. My plan involves you calling me Carswell."

"I love you too, Carswell."

He crushed her to him, kissing her so hard her feet lifted off the ground. She sighed against him, overwhelmed by how much she had missed him. She was having trouble remembering why she'd ever moved to New York.

He put her down abruptly. "Whoa, sorry, my fault. No kissing yet."

Cress was the one to pout this time.

Thorne let out a breath, looking nervous. "Here's the other part of the plan: long-distance, me and you, for a few months, to see how it goes. We can visit each other."

Cress tried to imagine it. "I won't be able to take any time off. I've already asked for time off that I haven't yet earned to go to Winter's wedding."

"Then I could come to New York, if you'll have me. I just made six grand, after all. That should cover a few plane tickets."

She laughed. "Too bad we can't have them hire you again." She was afraid to bring it up, but she had to. "What about your job?"

Thorne grimaced. "That's the tricky thing. I'm good at what I do, honestly, and I've never tried applying myself to anything else."

"But—"

"But I'm no longer enjoying it."

"Oh?"

"I haven't enjoyed it since I met you. I don't want to flirt with anyone else, let alone kiss them."

Her cheeks warmed. "That's awfully romantic."

"No, it's not. You've ruined my job."

"Good."

"That comment alone deserves at least an hour of kissing."

She hugged him, trying to suppress her laugh.

Thorne rubbed her back with soothing circles, then kissed the top of her head. "Ze'ev and Kai offered to help me find a new job. I thought I might take them up on it. See if there's something else I could be good at."

"Oh, I'm sure you'd be good at a lot of things! You're such a people person. Maybe a customer service job?"

"I don't know. I like being my own boss."

Cress could hardly believe he was thinking about giving up his entire business for her. His house, even. And having him in New York with her? Here? She pinched herself to make sure she wasn't having another one of her fantasies.

"I am sad about giving up my house."

"Well, don't give it up yet. Like you said, let's see how it goes first. Now, didn't you have somewhere to be?"

"Oh." He grinned sheepishly. "I was trying to get rid of you. I'm actually supposed to be going back to Philly today. I have a vacation booked for the D.C. area."

"That sounds lovely."

"Mhmm."

Cress trailed a finger down his arm. "Is there any way you could cancel that vacation?"

"Do I have a reason to?"

"Well, it won't exactly be a _vacation_ , because I'll be working….but I do have Tuesday and Wednesday off…and I could use a date for Valentine's Day."

"Oh?"

"I mean, if you want."

"A date with the Captain on Valentine's Day? That's going to cost you."

"Ahh, I forgot. Prices double on holidays."

"That they do."

Thorne picked Cress up so she was eye-level. She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. "What's it gonna cost me?"

After a long kiss that left her breathless, Thorne smiled against her lips. "Your heart."

Loud banging on the door ruined Cress's swoon—and the moment.

"Hey! Are you okay in there?"

Thorne pressed a finger to his lips as Cress tried to stopper her giggling.

"We didn't mean to mess everything up!"

"We are not answering," Thorne whispered.

"Definitely not," Cress whispered back.

"Thorne? Cress? Are you even in there?"

"I hate your family," Thorne said.

"They're a bit much at times," Cress agreed, still trying not to giggle.

"Look, we're really sorry! Especially Iko."

"Stop blaming me, Cinder!"

With Cress still wrapped around him, Thorne tiptoed over to the door and locked it behind them as Cinder and Iko started bickering. He trailed kisses down Cress's neck as he walked them into his hotel room. Cress's eyes closed of their own volition when his mouth found the part of her sweater that hung off one shoulder. His lips moved to her clavicle, making good on his promise of where he would kiss her if she were his girl.

Cress hoped he'd make good on his promise to stay awhile too.

* * *

**~ THE END ~**

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have at least 1 epilogue planned for this story, plus a possible deleted scene and maybe a few more goodies, so stay tuned! We'll see what inspires me. Thank you for sticking with me this long and I really hope you enjoyed every chapter!
> 
> I'm working on a new (and my last multi-chapter) fic called Newlyweds, where Cress and Thorne go to Vegas with the Rampion Crew and accidentally get married. It's an AU based off the movie What Happens in Vegas. :)


	38. Epilogue Part 1

When Cress stepped into the baggage claim area of the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, her favorite blue eyes and dimpled smile were waiting for her. Already in a summer suit and tie, Thorne ran at her as though they hadn't seen each other for months.

The two weeks since he'd last visited her in New York had felt like a lifetime to her as well. Lately, the more frequently Thorne visited her, the longer the time in between visits seemed.

Cress dropped her bag and threw her arms around his neck as he lifted her off her feet and spun her. It didn't take long before they were full-on kissing, his hands in her hair and hers trying desperately not to muss up the coif he'd already styled for the wedding.

"Aces, I missed you," Thorne said, setting her gently on her feet but letting his hand linger against the small of her back.

"I missed you too."

She pushed on her toes and gave him another kiss on the lips, then hugged him again, just because she could. They had spent the last several nights skyping until the early hours of the morning, planning everything for this weekend. Even though she could see him in his sleepy, pajama-clad state from New York, it was nothing like having him next to her now. It was nothing like when he fell asleep next to her and she woke up wrapped in his arms.

She could've stayed there at the airport and hugged him all day, but Thorne quickly got back to business and stepped back. "Got a suitcase?" He looked at the conveyor belt for her flight.

She was almost disappointed at their short embrace — nothing like their reunions in New York — but she knew it was different here. They didn't have the weekend to spend alone, and she'd arrived later than anticipated. And he was already dressed for the evening at eleven in the morning, but he looked _so good_.

"No, just my hand luggage," she said, resigned. "Winter is bringing my bridesmaid's dress to the salon."

Thorne checked his watch. "Which I need to drop you off at in about thirty minutes." He took her luggage in one hand and her hand in the other. "It's too bad your flight was delayed. I had to park all the way in the back."

Her chest warmed at his touch and she squeezed his hand happily as they walked out the exit. "Don't worry, it takes forever for the bride to get her hair done. A few minutes of traffic won't throw anything off."

"It throws off my plan to take a detour of making out with my girlfriend before we get there."

She grinned. "Plenty of time for that later. How is everyone doing?"

"Oh, everyone is stressed, but that's expected. Your dad called me three times already to ask when you were arriving."

Cress stopped and looked up at him. "My dad has your number?"

Thorne shrugged. "It's a recent development. Rosie asked for it a few weeks ago at dinner, so she probably passed it on to him."

She gave him another squeeze. "I really appreciate that you're getting to know them. I know it's probably not the most fun thing, dinner with my parents, but they like it, from what I gather."

"Ah, well, it's only a few times a month. And Rosie's cooking is enough to feed me for the entire weekend." He patted his stomach. "Say, do you think I've gained weight?"

She smacked him playfully as they reached his car. After he had loaded her bags into the trunk, Cress pulled him into another kiss. She sighed happily as he deepened it, but before she knew it, he was already pulling away. She eyed the backseat. "Are you sure we don't have time for that make out detour?" She gave him the face that always made him kiss her.

Thorne looked like he was in pain, but he sped around the car and got into the driver's seat, leaving her to scoff on the other side. She slid into the passenger seat with a raised eyebrow. "Someone's priorities have changed."

He backed out of the parking lot. "Someone's sister is getting married. And someone's _father_ needs to keep liking me."

She harrumphed. "I'm the one that needs to keep liking you."

He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "This is the first time your family is going to see us together. I need to make a good impression and that impression means getting you to that salon at the promised time."

"They saw us together for all of Christmas weekend. Or do you not remember how we met?"

She thought he'd smirk, but Thorne looked a little rattled — and not because he was driving his car haphazardly into oncoming traffic.

"Carswell, look out!"

He swerved at last minute and Cress clutched the side of her door. "Oh my stars! Are you a bad driver?"

"What you mean?" The car jerked to the right as he got on the highway ramp. "I'm an excellent driver."

But Cress didn't know if that was really true, and she only had five minutes in the car with him to prove him otherwise. Now that she thought about it, she'd never truly driven with him. When they'd first met at Christmas, she had driven her car, and after that they always been in cabs or ride shares.

"Okay, fine, you're an excellent driver, but could you slow down a little bit so that I don't throw up on the day of my sister's wedding?"

"Sorry, sorry." Thorne shifted and things smoothed out a little — but only a little. "I'm just trying to get us there on time."

She reached over and rubbed his knee. "It's okay, they already love you."

His shoulders relaxed a little. "I just want this weekend to be perfect."

"It _is_. We're together, aren't we?"

He glanced over at her. "So your family's cool with you staying with me this weekend instead of at their house?"

Cress cringed. "I haven't exactly told them."

Thorne swerved again, but she didn't blame him this time. She knew her parents wouldn't be thrilled to hear that the precious seventy-eight hours she was in Minnesota would be spent more with Thorne than with them. But Thorne visited her only once a month, and he always stayed with her then. And it wasn't like when she was sleeping she'd be talking to her family anyway.

"So, what's your plan? Just casually announce you're going to my place after the wedding is over?"

"Do I need a plan? I'm almost 23. They can't dictate where I sleep."

"They miss you."

"I'm going to see them all weekend." She frowned at him. "Or are you trying to tell me something?"

The car swerved again. "What? What do you mean? I'm not trying to tell you anything. What would I be trying to tell you?"

She stared at him, not used to seeing Thorne this way at all. "…that you don't want me to stay over?"

He relaxed again. "Oh, aces, no, of course I want you to stay over. It's like I said, I just really need this weekend to be perfect. Don't want your dad on my bad side."

"It's going to be fine. And they're visiting me in a few weeks, so we'll have plenty of quality time then."

"Okay," he said, taking her hand. "If you say so."

They fell into a comfortable silence as they drove into the heart of Minneapolis and got closer to the wedding venue. Her nerves hummed as they approached the salon. Though she was excited to see everyone again, the familiar nervous energy that always accompanied family gatherings started to creep back inside. She hadn't seen anyone but Cinder and Iko since she'd abruptly left after New Year's Eve.

They'd all talked eventually, of course, but it had always been a little awkward with the way Cress had left things. The last time she'd seen her cousins all together, they'd confronted her about her fake relationship with Thorne. And though all of their scheming was the reason why she was together with Thorne now, she still didn't like everyone knowing what she'd done six months ago now.

And then there was Winter.

Cress hadn't spoken much to her sister in the six months she'd been gone, but at least they'd started talking again. For Cress, it had been cathartic having some time away and learning how to be herself in New York. But now she was here in Minneapolis, back at home, and her sister was getting _married_. She was sad to have missed Winter's rehearsal dinner yesterday, but it had been unavoidable with work. Still, Cress considered it a good thing that she'd _wanted_ to be there — had made an effort even in trying to rearrange her schedule to no avail. She was finally at a point where maybe there was room in her heart again for her sister. Room to try to patch things up that had long been broken.

She knew it wouldn't happen in one weekend but knew that at least it _could_ happen now.

She had the last six months of her life to thank for that. And in part, she had _Thorne_ to thank for that.

She took his hand and placed a kiss on the inside of his palm. "I'm really happy to be here, Carswell. Thanks for picking me up."

He looked over at her. "As if I'd make you take a cab."

"You know what I mean."

He beamed. "I love you, Cress."

"I love you too," she said, unable to contain her smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh heyy! I just turned my second novel in to beta readers and so I'm back to writing fic. And while I was writing this, I decided to post it in parts/snippets from the wedding weekend, so I hope you enjoyed Part 1 for now. I'll post Part 2 in a bit. :) It will either be 2 or 3 parts total. If you expect anything but pure fluff prepare to be severely disappointed lol. Scenes from the wedding up next! :)


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